New-look BBC One news goes live

The BBC’s new, state-of-the-art news studio went live at 10pm this evening on BBC One and the BBC News Channel.

The BBC News at Ten was the first programme to utilise the revamped Studio B facility at New Broadcasting House in London.

The new-look Studio B boasts a number of presentation areas, featuring high resolution video walls:

• Catwalk: includes a large, curved video wall. This will typically be used to display illustrative graphics during story links and to explore stories in more depth using animated graphics.
• Touch-screen video wall: allowing the presenter to provide a more engaging way of telling a story, using graphics. The presenter can control the transition of graphics by touching the video wall. This area is also used for the weather segment.
• Monolith video walls: one of two such walls is positioned in a standalone section of the studio. This wall will provide another means of using graphics for story links. It’ll also be used, minus the presenter, to display BBC website content (e.g., when promoting material on the BBC News website or pointing to programmes on the BBC iPlayer).
• Desk: a large, curved desk, allowing for a panel of guests, where required. The large video walls behind this area provide suitable imagery for anchor and guest positions at the desk. The background for the main presenter position includes recorded footage of a portion of the BBC newsroom. The desk area also features a monolith video wall.

Electric Friends supplied the tracked robotic camera system. As well as providing the route around the studio for the cameras, the tracks also carry the power and video signals to the cameras, eliminating unsightly cables.

For the time being, the studio will be used for the BBC News at Six and the BBC News at One. It will also be used for big events, such as local and general elections.

There are plans for BBC London – currently based in Studio D – to move to Studio B.

Earlier this evening, Huw Edwards took viewers of The One Show on a tour of Studio B.

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