[Jeff]

Yes, I think so as they clearly aren’t willing to think creatively to do a proper hybrid service (which, as has been said, is still possible but now doesn’t look likely to emerge from the current mess).

If that’s what they do eventually do, they ought to keep the BBC World News name and call it that. The TV compliment to BBC World Service.

As the last week has demonstrated though, when push comes to shove, the BBC will shaft the financially necessary international market in favour of bowing to the political pressure associated with the domestic market. If they aren't willing to organise a proper hybrid service with a reasonable editorial balance, it'll be a global BBC News channel rather than a domestically available BBC World News that emerges from the merger.

The issue is though the last week and the next few weeks can't be seen as an indication or used as a guide as to how very UK-centric stories/events will be handled by the single news channel since the current interim merged service doesn't have the ability to provide a separate service for UK viewers (bolded that bit since it's absolutely infuriating how that is being willfully/deliberately ignored on this website). As such, the interim merged service has to find a tricky balance in ensuring both international and UK viewers are being properly served without overserving one group over another. The fact that finding said balance is proving to be tricky (especially when there's a story concerning BBC management and the focal point of its sports division) shouldn't be surprising.

It really does seem like a lot of people have a pre-determined view about what the single news channel will be like (i.e., an utter disaster) and as such, are (often hysterically) latching onto seemingly any and every example possible to be able to go "Ah ha, see, see, I told you this isn't going to work". This is despite how the interim merged service will be different to what the single news channel will be and what the single news channel is when it launches will likely be different to what it'll be a few months down the track as adjustments are inevitably made.