[Earlie37]

As far as I've heard, expect almost all regions to have a set of the same size and that for many, the new set will not take up the whole size of the studio (e.g. regions such as Southampton and Newcastle may have quite a bit of space no longer used on screen compared to the current arrangement). However, I do believe each region was asked to choose from either a sofa or desk variant on the design. Will be interesting to see if any regions decided to plump for the desk version - would assume almost all of them chose to go with the sofa route.

[DTV]

Makes sense, there will obviously have to be exceptions. For instance, Tunbridge Wells will never get a set in of that height; I'm not sure you could get a set that wide in Norwich; Hull will have to orient the set different as the studio lacks the depth for that opening shot; Salford will also be interesting if NWT are indeed staying put - very low ceiling and weird shape.

I can understand similar sizes for the rest though, even if it does waste a bit of valuable studio space. As the first largely tech based set, they might not want to be seen splurging way more on some regions than others - it's obviously a bigger cost difference if some regions have twice as long videowalls than if they have a bit more plywood and a slightly larger printed backdrop.

[Andrew]

As far as I've heard, expect almost all regions to have a set of the same size and that for many, the new set will not take up the whole size of the studio (e.g. regions such as Southampton and Newcastle may have quite a bit of space no longer used on screen compared to the current arrangement). However, I do believe each region was asked to choose from either a sofa or desk variant on the design. Will be interesting to see if any regions decided to plump for the desk version - would assume almost all of them chose to go with the sofa route.

I could see Hull going for the desk version

I couldn’t see Peter Levy doing standing up pres next to the big vertical screen though

[James Vertigan]

The ITV West (former HTV West) edition of ITV News West Country has just gone out in the former Westcountry TV region.

[Scratch_Perry]

Has the BBC announced a replacement for Jon Kay to be the Bristol-based correspondent for the One, Six and Ten bulletins?

Today there was the bus crash in Somerset and the reporter sent down there was Phil Mackie, who is normally the Midlands correspondent and he was captioned as such! Though that's not the first time a correspondent "out of region" covered a story down in the West Country; last year during some storms, the Leeds-based correspondent reported live from Bristol on the Six O'Clock bulletin.

[watchingtv]

Dan Johnson has replaced Jon Kay.
He has been posting on twitter news about the bus crash.
twitter.com 

[London Lite]

ITV West Country went pan-regional after the weather to cover the bus crash in Somerset. The South West opt was pre-recorded and was midway down the running order as presumably most viewers receive West Country East from Mendip in Bridgwater.

[Scratch_Perry]

Dan Johnson has replaced Jon Kay.
He has been posting on twitter news about the bus crash.
twitter.com 

And Dan has made his first appearance in his new role - and captioned as such - on the One O'clock News.

[Former Member 406]

In the thread about the BBC An Là studio in Inverness, Stuart posted the following about the BBC Channel Islands news service...

"The CI sub-opt comes from a 'cupboard under the stairs' at BBC Radio Jersey. There is never any standing presentation, as they'd bang their heads on the ceiling. A proper regional 'minilith' would be wasted, although they could actually use someone's mobile phone in front of one of the cameras to make it look as if they had one.

They could develop some kind of NBH-B style set on the two walls which are visible, but the screens would be rather wasted in an environment with only 2 fixed camera shots. Frankly, I wonder what extraordinary efforts it took to get that two-part sofa into the cupboard."

...which got me thinking:

Doesn't the current St Helier studio have something like one-quarter (or whatever) of the cylindrical space containing a helical (a.k.a. "spiral") staircase encroaching into its footprint, with a curved glass window meaning that the actual staircase can be seen from inside the studio (albeit not in any of the camera angles currently used in the broadcast programme)?

Given that the Studio B NBH set contains a dummy helical staircase (to the faux "balcony"), it would be apt for any "B"-style set introduced in St Helier to somehow incorporate their real staircase into the on-air look of the programme. Fat chance of this happening though, I suspect.

[London Lite]

Interesting filler at the end of Channel Islands News on Friday evening, a look at the work of VJ Meghan Owen as part of a BBC Careers initiative.

youtu.be