[interestednovice]

I’m not sure about the UK opts on the Channel, I suspect unlikely.

I do though suspect that for the most major of stories (rolling BBC One news type stories) we’ll have Salford leading on anything 6am-2pm with the new Breakfast & One team and NBH leading from 2pm.

Indeed. If news “took over” use of the new Breakfast studio, sport would be kicked out (and they’ve only just specifically redesigned the space to allow both news and sport to use it). So routine use of it after Breakfast is, in my view, unlikely (although Sport could potentially relocate and either share North West Tonight’s new set in the old Breakfast studio, once that is completed, during the daytime; or possibly they could revamp the “temporary set” NWT is currently in to be used for Sport again as a secondary studio; they could also still share the set possibly and just axe sport programming if in rolling breaking news opt-out mode).

There is also the “who would present it” argument to consider. If you ask the Breakfast presenters to stay on until 2pm, that’s a very long day if they end up presenting Breakfast and potentially hours on end of an opt. If you ask the One news presenter to come in early to “cover” the opt, again that’s quite a long time before the One that they would (theoretically) need to be ready to go on air. It would also remove the break in between the One and Breakfast that camera operators and other crew in Salford currently get.

However, I do agree that in a quick breaking situation, an extended Breakfast or opt lead by Breakfast is a possibility. After all, the usual way of covering breaking news is for it to be covered by a programme already on air. The morning opt in NBH would not need to be “started up” if Breakfast kept rolling with news. So if something significant happens around the time of, say, just before Breakfast goes off air, then it is sensible that the Breakfast team (whether still branded as Breakfast or not) cover it and just get paid overtime to keep rolling. Sport then wouldn’t be broadcast if true breaking news was happening anyway, as the channel would be in rolling mode. But this couldn’t happen every day as it would be too much work for the Breakfast team.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we do eventually see it happening on the channel though, as there is no longer a UK-focused programme already on air in NBH when Breakfast ends - and they usually take a little bit of time to “go live” with the opt.

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Focusing on producing output for online/app content isn't necessarily a bad thing. However they need to do it in a way where either all of elements of it can be reused by TV and possibly even radio. At the moment there's scope for improvements.

I agree. The thing is, “producing content for online” shouldn’t, in my view, mean click-bait videos with emojis and rubbish patronising clips. Instead, it would work much better if it actually was a TV package, or something in the style of TV packages. That’s what I would like to see. A good package can be visually interesting for those watching, have good enough audio to be carried on radio with little/no alterations and possibly subtitles like online videos often do for those listening without sound. One package, three uses. That’s the way forward, and creates actually watchable content.