Timeline: 2023 Week 12

A round-up of the week’s stories and observations.

• TUE 21ST MAR (7.30PM)
  Technical issues delay early evening Sportsday
• TUE 21ST MAR (9PM)
  O’Callaghan rules herself out of Late Late presenting role
• WED 22ND MAR (11.15AM)
  A number of changes on Freeview today
• THU 23RD MAR (10.15AM)
  Ofcom announces new BBC operating licence
• FRI 24TH MAR (11PM)
  Mic problems affect the final minutes of the BBC News at Ten

Tuesday 21st March

7.30pm Technical issues delay early evening Sportsday

The early evening edition of Sportsday failed to appear in its usual post-BBC News at Six spot on the BBC News Channel this evening.

News Channel viewers got the first five minutes of BBC London instead.

At 6.35pm, the Sportsday titles abruptly interrupted a BBC London package. BBC London sound lingered briefly.

Sportsday then continued normally. There was no acknowledgement of the technical issues by the Sportsday presenter.

9pm O’Callaghan rules herself out of Late Late presenting role

RTÉ presenter Miriam O’Callaghan has said she will not be putting her name forward for consideration for The Late Late Show presenting role, following Ryan Tubridy’s announcement that he will leave the show at the end of this season.

“The Late Late Show is an incredible programme,” she said. “It’s not just the jewel in the crown of Irish broadcasting, it’s also an institution stitched into the fabric of Irish life. Ryan has done a tremendous job of presenting it for the last 14 years.

“Although the speculation about me being one of the favourites to take over The Late Late Show is very flattering, that won’t be happening as I’m not throwing my hat into the ring to be considered.”

“I love what I do too much on Prime Time to leave it and what we do in current affairs as a team really matters, and can actually change lives.”

Wednesday 22nd March

11.15am A number of changes on Freeview today

BBC One HD regional changes on Freeview channel 101 – how it happened:

• Brief freeze in the picture at 11am.
• Channel relabelled with region name.
• EPG updated with regional news programme title in place of “This is BBC One HD”.

What changed today in some regions?

• Service ID 17540 was the “old” BBC One HD.
• Using the East Midlands as an example, SID 17542 became BBC One East Midland HD at 11am.
• SID 17540 is still there, for the benefit of unretuned TVs, but it points to BBC One East Midlands HD.

What about SID17541 in the red? That’s actually BBC One West Midlands HD. It was listed across the Midlands before the Freeview HD multiplex was regionalised and split into different versions for the East and West Midlands.

Finally, regionalisation would allow ITV 1 HD to show the correct regional news on Freeview. At the moment, only Central West, Granada, London and Meridian East broadcast on Freeview HD in England.

However, ITV hasn’t announced any changes to its Freeview HD service at this stage.

That’s TV’s channels on Freeview:

• Four channels share two Freeview slots.
• Slot 1 (COM5): That’s 60s (9am – 3am, channel 71) and That’s 70s (3am – 9am, channel 75).
• Slot 2 (COM6): That’s TV UK (6am – 4am, channel 65) and That’s 80s (4am – 6am, channel 76).

The new Al Jazeera streams on Freeview channels 285 and 286 are in HD. WION streaming on 287 is also HD – warning content may not be regulated by Ofcom.

HD streams subject to your internet connection.

Courtesy @a516digital.

Details.

Thursday 23rd March

10.15am Ofcom announces new BBC operating licence

The changing needs of viewers and listeners and a demand for greater public accountability are enshrined in a new, modernised BBC operating licence announced by Ofcom today.

The main points:

• Wide-ranging requirements introduced for BBC iPlayer, Sounds and website.
• Important broadcast TV and radio content safeguarded by quotas.
• BBC will have to explain planned changes to its services in detail upfront.
• New commitments around changes to local radio and news channel.

Some items of particular note:

The BBC News channel is no longer required to provide more regional news than other news channels, but has an obligation to “ensure that it provides high quality local, regional, national, UK and international news.”

Ofcom has approved watered down news bulletin requirements for BBC national radio – commercial radio groups, who do have quotas weren’t impressed when this went out to consultation.

Full details are available on the Ofcom website – link below:

EXTERNAL LINK: New, audience-focused BBC operating licence fit for digital future.

Friday 24th March

11pm Mic problems affect the final minutes of the BBC News at Ten

Tomasz Schafernaker’s radio microphone failed during the weather segment on tonight’s BBC News at Ten. We had to make do with a back-up microphone positioned elsewhere in the studio.

RELATED ARTICLE: Timeline: 2023 Week 11.

RELATED ARTICLE: Timeline: 2023 Week 13.

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