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Regional TV news programme to be editionised, BBC announces

Janine MachinA separate editon of a regional evening news programme covering the East of England is to be launched next week, the BBC has announced.

Until now, Look East has covered a huge region stretching from Norwich to Milton Keynes in the north and Southend to Luton in the south.

Now the BBC has announced it is to be split into two programmes from Monday.

One programme will cover west side of the region, including Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and parts of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, while the other will cover Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

David Holdsworth, Controller, BBC English Regions, said: “We’ve been working for some time to boost coverage on the west side of the BBC East region to match the fast growing population, and we can now offer viewers there a more tailored local edition of their news.

“Viewers in the east of the region will also benefit from a more local programme. We want audiences to get the best out of their BBC and keep striving to deliver the most relevant, important news to them.”

The BBC has boosted staffing in the west of the region to produce the additional programme, including the appointment of a new science correspondent to cover scientific and technological sector in Cambridge, and a new reporter covering Milton Keynes.

Janine Machin, pictured, will front the programme covering the west of the region while Stewart White and Susie Fowler-Watt will present the edition for viewers in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

4 comments

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  • April 20, 2018 at 5:06 pm
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    Many think it has started already and BBC South East is really Kent News .

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  • April 22, 2018 at 11:40 am
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    For too long, bbc regional tv editorial has been determined by transmitter footprint of the particular opt out. The towns/places that make-up those coverage areas have little in common and the local news offer is anything but local. The idea of sub opts /split programmes is not only to be welcomed but is necessary in a world where the gap is for hyper-local news /information of the sort Local /city based TV and local community radio provides. BBC needs foot soldiers in every community that only local community stations can provide. Spread some love BBC and embrace the power and influence of local community broadcasters.

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  • April 23, 2018 at 7:14 am
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    It makes sound sense to me, those living in the south of the region will have little affinity with those in the far west Norfolk or the fens and vice versa, it’s only giving the level of hyper local news the print publishers have given up on or are unsble/ unwilling to provide any longer.

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  • April 23, 2018 at 9:51 am
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    BBC Southwest’s Points West and Spotlight probably going to go the same way some time soon….

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