07-01-2024, 10:51 PM
In her replies over past couple of weeks on X, Martine is certainly being definitive she’s back soon, for example:
x.com
x.com
(07-01-2024, 10:51 PM)steve Wrote: In her replies over past couple of weeks on X, Martine is certainly being definitive she’s back soon, for example:
x.com
(07-01-2024, 09:32 PM)qwerty123 Wrote: Is there even 10 freelancers who are regularly appearing on the channel (as opposed to people covering news channel shifts on top or instead of other contracted roles within BBC News)?The freelance and ‘step up’ employed presenters will almost certainly be aware of the situation - that their usage is intended to be temporary as a stop-gap until all the roles are filled.
Lauren Taylor and Tadgh Enright are almost certainly freelance and Lewis Vaughan Jones, Samantha Simmonds and Lukwesa Burak may well be but almost all of the other faces appear to be either be BBC staff who are presenting news channel shifts on top of other lower profile duties and who presumably wouldn’t be best pleased at effectively being demoted or appear so infrequently to be essentially irrelevant (as there will almost certainly always need to be a small amount of freelance cover due to unexpected absences and on location assignments).
(07-01-2024, 09:12 PM)qwerty123 Wrote: Honestly there might be space for some of them but there certainly is not space for 5 full time presenters, especially if they want to keep any of those who have stepped up over the past year to even remotely on side.
......
If each of the 5 women were to present an average of 3.5 shifts per week that would be 17.5 of the 23 shifts being covered by them leaving only 5.5 shifts per week for (at least) 3 currently appointed reporter presenters and everybody else within the corporation who would see being returned to their substantive duties as an effective demotion and who would therefore be much more likely to seek employment elsewhere and many of whom are the potential next generation of lead presenters.
(08-01-2024, 01:23 PM)Stockland Hillman Wrote: The likely double election year plus Olympics in a near local timezone makes it very unlikely the current news channel arrangements can continue throughout 2024
BBC Studios will likely want to superserve the US audience, where there is significant money to.be made in an election year (US has political advertising, which effectively sustains broadcast media. They won't want UK elections and Olympics (where they aren't a rights holder) to damage the commercial potential.
In the UK, they will be looking towards the next government, most likely a Labour one, and would have had corporate lobbying meetings with the Party to understand and influence Labour policy towards the BBC. Politicians most notice media when they do/do not cover their events, which are usually morning launches for the days media grid. It's unlikely that UK Only rolling news isn't restored 9am-1pm - if only becouse from budget onwards we'll have competing party media events/announcements that will require balanced coverage (the "pop up" rolling event coverage model is useless in this case, as everything political requires more complex balance treatments)
So, a much more potential demand for on screen talent, a tense political environment that requires skilled presenters less likely to damage the BBC than inexperienced ones. They have 5 ready made people to drop in, so its an easy win. All they need after at BBC news is to improve the programme producer lineups to match.
(08-01-2024, 01:56 PM)Brekkie Wrote: The BBC knew all of this when the decision to merge operations was made and the 5 presenters don't each come with the team of people required to produce a separate feed when they're on air, though I do suspect there may he dome off-air staff in similar HR limbo to these, but more likely they've been paid off or reallocated roles.
As much as you're right the news cycle this year means the news channel operation needs to cater to two different audiences I just can't see much changing. At best we may get a UK election focused programme in the mornings (which may or may not be simulcast) but in all honesty I suspect they'll just put the Nicky Campbell phone in back on air to tick that box.