Regional News on BBC

Charles Slane

This is taken from Media Guardian. I wonder if we'll have access to the English regional news on BBCNI -


BBC1 regional news goes digital

Dan Milmo
Tuesday October 16, 2001

BBC1 is to make regional news programmes available on digital satellite for the first time, as the corporation steps up its digital expansion.

The service, which launches in the new year, will allow viewers in London, the north, the north-west, the west midlands and the south to access local news bulletins from their set-top boxes.

The BBC will use the same interactive technology used for its coverage of Wimbledon, meaning that viewers in the five regions can choose the service most applicable to them.

It means that viewers in Manchester can watch the London regional news by choosing the bulletin from their on-screen menu.

The BBC director general, Greg Dyke, said the move underlined the corporation's commitment to digital services.

"We firmly believe in the digital future and will do whatever we sensibly can to invest in it to add to viewers' choice," he said.

"With the innovative interactive technology used so successfully for Wimbledon and the Open Golf this summer we can now provide these new regional services."

The first phase covers 70% of the English population, but a BBC spokeswoman could not give an exact date for when the remaining programmes would be available on satellite.

In the meantime, those viewers will have to switch back to analogue TV for the services.

Today's announcement also means that the current service used to transmit regional news, UK Today, will stop broadcasting in January next year.

Charles,
It would be great if Irish Sky viewers got access to all the bbc regional news programmes-but I suspect that as we don't have news 24 or choice or Knowledge on the Irish card, the likelyhood will be the active button will be missing here:(
The 214 and 215 , we have in the South is a relay of what is on 101 and 102 in the north-if you try to switch channels to say choice or 24 in text mode the picture freezes, so If we do get an active button for the regions,it mightn't work.
But lets hope I'm wrong-remember though that someone in the BBC must be very sensitive to "license fee issues" and as we don't pay, we don't get:mad:
Sky can relay a version of one and two without an active button (as they do with Sky news Eire cable) , if the BBC request this.
mm

Goink

Is there any difference between the sky news broadcast in the north and "Sky news Eire cable" in the south ????

Charles Slane

I think that the Sky News on the Northern Sky Digital EPG and on cable is the normal British feed, although I'm not 100% about this.

I would imagine that the only thing that would stop us getting the English regional news would be if the interactive element wasn't carried on the BBCNI feed. If it is, I reckon we'd be able to see it, since we were able to see the interactive Wimbledon coverage.

Mossy Monk

i can't see the point in this being broadcast outside of England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland already have regional news so my guess would be that this service will be England only

byte

Originally posted by Goink
Is there any difference between the sky news broadcast in the north and "Sky news Eire cable" in the south ????

The only difference is the advert breaks. All the programming is the same.

Goink

Is there any way of getting BBC1 variations, ( I know all BBC2 variations are broadcast but why not BBC1 ? Is there some kind of legal problem here ? It would be right handy to have BBC1 scotland for the highlights of the celtic matches !

"I would imagine that the only thing that would stop us getting the English regional news would be if the interactive element wasn't carried on the BBCNI feed. If it is, I reckon we'd be able to see it, since we were able to see the interactive Wimbledon coverage."

Agreed Charles-its going to be interesting to see if this happens,but remember the Wimbledon coverage was National programming, which falls under the remit of what we in the South subscribe to as part of our Irish Sky service.
Regional news( and the associated expense of providing the regional bbc's via interactive ) does not fall under that remit.
Again its a sensitive "licence fee issue" for them.

Hope the BBC arent thinking that way though as its a bit petty and just a follow on from the pettyness of not having Channel four and five/Choice and Knowledge etc on the Irish card
After all if the channel's there-the transmission cost is already borne- and shur with Sky rising all our Sub's by an ASTRONOMICAL amount-saying they're adding channels;surely they can give some of this to Ch 4/5 etc to cover any copyright issues etc.
mm