[Keith]

You sum it up perfectly; it was sloppy and things made it on air that never should have.

The more I reflect on it all, the more I come to the conclusion that actually there is no excuse for how badly the merger has gone.

I think it's what happens when a lot of experienced staff are made redundant. Those that are left may not have as much experience, as well as presenters having to get used to operating the autocue themselves.

Then there was the small matter of the five presenters in dispute with HR, which saw them kept off-air. This resulted in the news channel having to use freelance presenters, as well as paying others to act up to cover shifts. (I dare speculate that Huw Edwards' suspension may also have stretched available presenters and financial resources further, as some may have had to cover the national news instead.)

One can only hope that a year on with the HR review complete and at least some of the five returning to air things may settle down a bit. (Hopefully their reported legal action won't keep them off-air.) If I recall correctly a review a few months ago had determined they required more presenters to cover UK news, which resulted in two of those five getting presenter roles (rather than just one).