A cuing error during the opening headline sequence on the BBC News at Ten caused confusion in the BBC nations and regions, with some abandoning their opt-out for their local headlines.
After a headline about the elections in Northern Ireland, we were supposed to hear a headline about the Champions League semi-final.
Instead, it looked as though the director accidentally cued two events in quick succession, resulting in the Champions League headline and accompanying video appearing only momentarily, before giving way to video for the next headline, which is usually only seen on the BBC News Channel and BBC One England HD.
The BBC News Channel/BBC One England HD headline is usually a pre-recorded one, presented in-vision by one of the BBC Sport presenters (in this case Tulsen Tollett). This headline is not usually seen in the nations and regions.
The skipped national headline understandably caused some confusion in the nations and regions, which were due to opt out for their local headlines.
As it happened, many of the nations/regions did not opt out.
For the nations/regions that did opt out, here’s what happened.
BBC Look North (Yorkshire) stayed with the network feed until the BBC News at Ten titles started. They then opted out and read their first headline before abandoning the second headline (even though the visuals and headline strap had already appeared) and rejoining the network feed, just as presenter Sophie Raworth started speaking.
BBC South Today (Oxford) opted opt just as the BBC News at Ten titles were cued. The local presenter started reading the first headline. Seconds into the opening headline, the local director faded up the pictures from the network feed (which were showing the end of the BBC News at Ten titles).
The local presenter hurriedly read out the second headline, before network sound was faded up – seconds before Sophie Raworth started her opening link.
BBC North West Tonight opted out during Tulsen Tollett’s headline. The local headlines were covered in full, before rejoining network in time for the final seconds of the BBC News at Ten opening titles.
BBC Look North (North East) opted out just after the BBC News at Ten titles started. They covered their two local headlines in full but network sound was faded up during the second local headline, shortly after Sophie Raworth began speaking. At the end of the second headline, they then crashed back to network pictures.
BBC Channel Islands opted out just before the BBC News at Ten titles started. They covered both of their local headlines before crashing back to network a second or so after Sophie Raworth started her opening link.
BBC Reporting Scotland interrupted Tulsen Tollett’s headline and covered both of their local headlines in full before crashing back to network in time for the final seconds of the BBC News at Ten opening titles.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: BBC News at Ten opening headlines. COPYRIGHT: BBC.
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