A round-up of the week’s stories and observations.
- MON 23RD JAN (6.45PM)
BBC health editor tries to exit news studio unseen – and fails - MON 23RD JAN (6.45PM)
BBC Look North (Hull) temporary set in use for 6.30pm programme - WED 25TH JAN (11AM)
BBC Bike Bureau kit in use on air - WED 25TH JAN (12.40PM)
Digital UK renamed Everyone TV - WED 25TH JAN (10.30PM)
Challenge to be made available on Saorview from 1st February - THU 26TH JAN (1PM)
Joanna Gosling bids farewell to BBC News viewers - THU 26TH JAN (1PM)
HD tests for more BBC English regions on satellite - SAT 28TH JAN (9AM)
Additional compression for Saorview multiplex 2 channels - SAT 28TH JAN (7PM)
BBC Look North (NE and Cumbria edition) off air this weekend - SUN 29TH JAN (12PM)
Politics Midlands forced to point out programme was recorded - SUN 29TH JAN (2.30PM)
BBC logo temporarily removed from front of New Broadcasting House - SUN 29TH JAN (7PM)
ITV 1 DOG glitch during Dancing on Ice
Monday 23rd January
6.45pm BBC health editor tries to exit news studio unseen – and fails
BBC health editor Hugh Pym was in the BBC News at Six studio this evening, to talk about the upcoming ambulance strike.
After his interview with presenter Fiona Bruce, Hugh tried to leave the studio without being seen but was caught on camera, exiting slowly.
6.45pm BBC Look North (Hull) temporary set in use for 6.30pm programme
The 6.30pm edition of BBC Look North (Hull) provided us with an opportunity to see a bit more of the programme’s temporary set than we saw over the weekend.
And yes, it gives us an excuse to include this amusing exchange between Peter Levy and weather presenter Paul Hudson.
Peter reads out a comment from a viewer, urging Paul to “step up to the plate and get a bit more trendy like Tommy Schafernak. His boots were awesome.”
Some comments about the choice of attire worn by network weather presenters follow.
Wednesday 25th January
11am BBC Bike Bureau kit in use on air
BBC foreign correspondent, Anna Holligan this morning tweeted some images of the mobile kit she used to broadcast live from her bike, minutes after dropping off her children at school.
She tweeted: “Doing school run then getting on air, broadcasting around the @BBCWorld three minutes after drop off – simply wouldn’t be possible without this mobile broadcasting device.
“I can’t wait to empower more people with our BBC Bike Bureau @kate_vandy.”
This is the equipment in use on air this morning (via the BBC News Channel):
12.40pm Digital UK renamed Everyone TV
The group responsible for the day-to-day running of free TV platforms – Freeview and Freesat – has been renamed Everyone TV.
Previously known as Digital UK, the renamed group continues to be owned and supported by the main public service broadcasters: BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Courtesy @a516digital.
EXTERNAL LINK: Everyone TV.
10.30pm Challenge to be made available on Saorview from 1st February
Channel 8 on the Saorview platform in Ireland is now displaying a Challenge logo, with the EPG suggesting the gameshow channel will be available from 1st February.
The addition of Challenge is somewhat of a surprise – and there’s thought to be limited spare capacity on multiplex 2, where it’s been placed.
Cúla 4 – a programme strand for children on Irish-language channel TG 4 – is set to launch as a standalone TV channel this year.
After many years of no activity on the platform, there have been a few changes since late-2021. November 2021 saw the introduction of Sky News. In August last year, Virgin Media Four was added. And in December, TG 4 was converted from SD to HD (1440 x 1080).
Thursday 26th January
1pm Joanna Gosling bids farewell to BBC News viewers
Presenter Joanna Gosling has signed off for the final time on BBC News.
Joanna has decided to leave the corporation, after 23 years, ahead of a planned merger of the BBC’s two TV news channels (BBC World News and the BBC News Channel), which will see a significant reduction in the number of on-air presenters.
She thanked colleagues and the audiences that had shaped her 30-year career in journalism.
“Lucky me to have had this great job, that has never felt like a job,” she added.
From The TV Room’s archive, here’s Joanna working on BBC News 24 back in 2001.
1pm HD tests for more BBC English regions on satellite
Another two BBC English regions are testing on Sky.
The tests can be found on Astra 2E – 10818V, SR 23000, FEC 3/4, DVB-S2:
- 10355 BBC Scotland HD.
- 10364 BBC Two Wales HD (moving to this transponder).
- 10365 BBC Four HD (moving to this transponder).
- 10366 CBeebies HD (moving to this transponder).
- 10373 BBC One East HD.
- 10374 BBC One East Midlands HD.
Courtesy @a516digital.
Saturday 28th January
9am Additional compression for Saorview multiplex 2 channels
Ahead of the launch of Challenge on the Saorview platform on 1st February, additional compression has been applied to channels on multiplex 2, to create space for the UK gameshow channel.
The drop in bitrates came into effect on 26th January, as shown below:
Courtesy @a516digital.
7pm BBC Look North (NE and Cumbria edition) off air this weekend
BBC TV’s local news service in the North East and Cumbria is off air this weekend due to maintenance work.
Viewers in the region will be served instead by BBC colleagues in Leeds.
Normal service is expected to resume on Monday afternoon.
Sunday 29th January
12pm Politics Midlands forced to point out programme was recorded
A number of BBC regions routinely record their Sunday morning BBC One political programme earlier in the week.
Politics Midlands this week featured an item about Tory Party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi. The story about Mr Zahawi’s tax affairs had been ongoing for a number of days.
But this morning, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that Mr Zahawi had been sacked.
Consequently, Politics Midlands was forced to put out an on-screen caption during their segment about Nadhim Zahawi, pointing out that the programme was recorded on Friday.
2.30pm BBC logo temporarily removed from front of New Broadcasting House
The now old BBC logo, prominently on display at the front entrance of BBC New Broadcasting House in London, was temporarily removed today, to allow damaged glass panes to be replaced.
The BBC ‘blocks’ were reinstated later in the afternoon.
Pictures courtesy of Alex Rhodes’ Twitter account.
7pm ITV DOG glitch during Dancing on Ice
There was a minor presentation blip during part one of tonight’s edition of Dancing on Ice.
The ITV 1 DOG clashed with the programme’s ‘LIVE’ bug in the top right corner of the screen.
When the programme returned after the first commercial break, the ITV 1 DOG had been moved to the top left of the screen.
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Acknowledgements
PICTURED: health editor Hugh Pym trying to exit the studio unseen - and failing. COPYRIGHT: BBC.
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