[LDN]

One thing that's quickly becoming evident in this new merged channel is that there is no room - understandably - for so much of the smaller bits of UK news that were prevalent on the former BBC News Channel. When watching the NC during the day, it was commonplace to get breaking news alerts for UK stories that often wouldn't even be significant enough to warrant a breaking news alert on the app. 

Some hypothetical examples of the types of breaking news that might pop up on the NC from around the UK on a typical weekday:


[*]Wyvern & Wessex Water chief says he won't resign despite footage of him joking about raw sewage in River Severn 
[*]Marmaduke Inbred-Horse, MP for Midsomer Parva, apologises after being caught speeding at 190mph in Causton town centre 
[*]Anglia Midland Rail staff announce 12 new strike dates
[*]A petrol tanker on fire has closed the M6, resulting in massive disruption and huge tailbacks 


All of these are the kinds of stories that would regularly pop-up as breaking news throughout the day on the former BBC NC, with presenters giving them all of a minute's attention between packages, before jumping back into the running order. NONE of these stories has any place on bulletins designed for a world audience. And whatever (understandable and rational) justifications for merging the two channels, as a UK viewer, this alone feels like a step back. I already feel like I'm getting something... less. 

Yes, it's nice to see the England teachers' strike in the mix of the global bulletins as a token nod to the UK audience. But that's a poor substitute for the kinds of regular updates, from across the UK, that would frequently populate BBC NC bulletins. 

On a similar note: the BBC has made every effort to placate concerns about giving due attention to prominent UK stories with the promise of being able to opt out to cover major breaking UK news. But that in itself is a problem, because previously, the UK's BBC News Channel could simply cover these stories freely. 

Now, a decision has to be made about whether or not the story is worthy of breaking away from the world feed to focus on something happening in the UK. For any editor considering this decision, there will surely only be one thought in their minds: It had better be something f**king big...

Previously, editors could weigh the decision to cover a story on the NC based solely on its newsworthiness. Now, there is the added consideration of whether that newsworthiness can be justified in the context of ditching the main world feed, and launching your own special coverage just for UK audiences. 

In my opinion, that puts a greater pressure on editors in terms of choosing if/when to activate the UK opt. There would undoubtedly be a higher threshold for opting out to follow UK breaking news under the new merged channel, compared with the editorial freedom previously afforded to the channel. To assume otherwise would surely be naïve. 

And in my eyes, at least, that's a fundamental problem with this new channel. 

HOWEVER. However. I very much doubt that that will prove to be an existential problem for this new channel. I imagine that what will happen is that many people - especially on here - will huff and puff, and it'll probably even make Newswatch (in its new graveyard slot), but the BBC will calmly explain why its right and pat everyone on the head, and the status quo will hold, and we'll all have to get used to it. I'll be amazed if anything but the most tokenistic changes are made in response to viewer feedback/outrage. 

And life will go on. 

One other thing: I think people should be careful what they wish for on the design front. There have been a lot of comments regarding the BBC's decision to soft-launch the channel with a botched mish-mash of old branding with chameleon elements, instead of just going for a whole new look. We already know - from various sources - that a broader brand refresh is in the works, but that it was always planned to be introduced later than the debut of the merged channel. 

But I have my doubts that the new look will be particularly pleasing to members here, myself included. 

Recently, particularly in the last couple of years, BBC News design has trended one way - towards simplicity, and flatter, more generic design elements. Look at the sad out-of-the-box design and animation sequences in The Context's opening titles. Look at the miserably poor blink-and-you'll-miss-them BBC Breakfast titles. Look at how the beautiful, rich, dynamic, visually exciting Newsday titles were replaced with a drab, flat opening sequence that looks like a cobbled-together collection of PowerPoint animations. And why, why is the 'D' in 'NEWSDAY' red, when all the other letters are in dark grey? 

I fear that whatever in-house new look is on the horizon will follow this trend, and will be as austere and... well, basic, as so many other recent BBC News designs. 

I hope I'm wrong. But I don't think I am.