A round-up of the week’s stories and observations.
- TUE 7TH MAY (12.30PM)
BBC News Studio E makes on air return - FRI 10TH MAY (11.30PM)
Mark Urban’s final time as Newsnight presenter? - SAT 11TH MAY (12.40PM)
Top-of-the-hour blooper from the BBC News channel - SAT 11TH MAY (2.50PM)
Another airing for the BBC Radio 2 emergency tape - SUN 12TH MAY (2.35PM)
Kasia Madera returns to on-air BBC role
Tuesday 7th May
12.30pm BBC News Studio E makes on air return
BBC News’ Studio E in London made its on air return at midday, having been off air for a number of months to allow for technical upgrades to its gallery.
BBC News Creative Director Chris Cook referenced the changes on Twitter:
“This is the all new powerful heart of BBC News. With lots of other gallery kit being replaced alongside CORE 3 Mosart allows us to share content between StB/DC/Salford.
“Makes us slicker, faster & modern. Thanks to everyone from the @OpsBBC who’s got is to where we are.
“The studio has had some love – it’s been repainted – some like for like tech replacements (you can’t improve on perfection) and some extra facilities for the presenters. We’ve replaced the old set servers for Ravens and new software for the cameras.
“But the biggest thing was a total rebuild of the automation. This involved lots of clever people from our amazing Automation team led by @TvMorag. This allows us to be efficient with other outlets and share content. Our team have also completed all the training. No mean feat.”
Other changes introduced today:
- World Business Report is rebranded BBC Business Today.
- Newsday has new opening titles.
Friday 10th May
11.30pm Mark Urban’s final time as Newsnight presenter?
Tonight’s Newsnight sign-off by presenter Mark Urban sounded like a low-key farewell.
Final time presenting the programme perhaps?
Last month, Mark announced he’d be leaving the BBC at the end of May.
Saturday 11th May
12.40pm Top-of-the-hour blooper from the BBC News channel
The top story from BBC News this hour.
2.50pm Another airing for the BBC Radio 2 emergency tape
The BBC Radio 2 emergency tape got an airing this afternoon.
Gary Davies’ Abba-themed Radio 2 Loves Eurovision was manually faded out and the emergency tape faded in, at around 2.20pm.
It seems the first part of the programme was replayed in error, shortly after the 2pm news.
After a ten-minute break, the correct part of Radio 2 Loves Eurovision was faded in.
The emergency tape was resorted to recently when a sound fault took Sara Cox’s drivetime programme off the air.
Sunday 12th May
2.35pm Kasia Madera returns to on-air BBC role
Presenter Kasia Madera is back on air this lunchtime, on the BBC News channel.
Kasia and a number of her presenting colleagues lost their on air roles last spring as a result of the merger of the UK and world TV news channels.
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Acknowledgements
PICTURED: BBC News Studio E, London. COPYRIGHT: BBC/Leigh Butcher.