It is still early days for the revamped BBC News at One. But the early indications are that the programme is proving a success.
As I anticipated, the first half hour of the programme has barely changed – beyond the move to Salford and the use of the Breakfast set.
Even so, the lack of a traditional desk and the use of the Breakfast sofa is well disguised.
Many links are being presented from the “tower” position. The sofa is not apparent in the tighter seated links.
The first obvious editorial change is at 1.30pm with a shorter weather forecast – the main forecast has been moved back to 1.55pm.
The short forecast needs to have a clearly set editorial purpose. It should be there to give a quick summary of the forecast for the next few hours for those who cannot stay tuned for longer – it should not focus on the longer term forecast or the background. That can wait for half an hour.
Immediately after the forecast, there have been stories from BBC Verify and studio chats. All fine but I can’t help but feel that the regional opt should come straight after the weather.
In an ideal world, I would argue that the nations and regions deserved a longer extension to the lunchtime bulletin.
I am sure the nations would have no difficulty in producing, say, a 12-minute programme rather than a 10-minute one. But perhaps resourcing would make this problematic in the English regions?
However the popularity and importance of the lunchtime opt means an extension like this should be considered, resources permitting.
The final 15 minutes of the network programme have not seemed forced or filled. There have been some worthwhile and valuable pieces – it has not been the ghetto for chat and light pieces which some might have anticipated.
Of course, the election and coverage of the D-Day anniversary means that it is hard to truly get a sense of how the extra time will be used routinely. What will happen on a dull news day?
The ratings suggest the new format is a success.
The ratings for the first half hour and the regional opt seem normal – attracting about 2m viewers and around three times the audience watching ITV 1.
The audience slips at 1.45pm – perhaps because of people returning to work – but the extra news is winning a bigger audience than Doctors gained in the slot.
All in all, the team in Salford deserve praise for such a strong and assured start.
As things settle down, they will no doubt get a stronger sense of how the extra time can be best used and look at whether a few tweaks are necessary.
But the extension to the One is a welcome boost to BBC daytime and the early evidence suggests the move is paying off.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: BBC News at One studio in Salford. COPYRIGHT: BBC.