As well as looking at the stories there are the logistics of making sure all the camera crews reporters and technical resources are in the right place at the right time.
The editorial coverage area of Points West is roughly an area enclosed by the River Severn up to Gloucester, across to Cirencester, Swindon, Marlborough, Devizes, Warminster, Yeovil, Taunton and Minehead.
With such a big patch to cover we have camera crews that work out of Bristol, Swindon, Taunton and Gloucester - all based at BBC local radio stations.
We are able to call on the specialist knowledge of their reporters who might alert us to a breaking story before we hear of it from other sources.
Our satellite truck can beam back pictures from anywhere in the region or even Europe.
 | | Points West has its own satellite van - pictured left to right are engineers Andy Butterworth, Paul Ratcliffe and Chris Shearing. |
Hopefully the reporter and camera crew can get to any story much quicker than if they are dispatched from elsewhere in the region.
The pictures and sound are edited on a PC-based system before being sent back down a dedicated circuit back to our newscentre in Bristol.
The saving in time this achieves means we can get stories to air that otherwise wouldn't have made it.
Meanwhile back in Bristol the digital edit suites are busy putting items together for the lunchtime news at 1.30.
 | | Digital video editing is fast and flexible |
Our graphic designer leads the team that produce all the maps and still pictures you seen on screen.
 | | We use an electronic paintbox to produce maps and other graphics |
For the hard-of-hearing, our news bulletins are subtitled. This is either done by cutting and pasting text from the scripts or by a live stenographer.
 | | However fast the presenter speaks the stenographer can always keep up |
The stenographer listens to the programme and uses a special keyboard which generates the Ceefax subtitles you see on screen in real time.
 | | Most of our news programmes are subtitled |
The programme is put to air by the team in the TV gallery. This is a darkened room with nearly 30 video screens.
The monitors are used by the director to see all the cameras, graphics, video play-in machines and outside broadcasts.  | | The Studio A gallery |
In the gallery - from left to right - we have the Technical Manager who looks after the lighting, Production Assistant (timings), Producer (responsible for the editorial content), Director (directs the cameras and presenters), Vision mixer (selects the pictures you see) and the sound engineer (makes sure you can hear everything).
Listen to what the presenters hear in their earpieces during the programme.
Programme opening
Coming up sequence
Linking to OB
Programme ending
Realmedia 28/56/Broadband
Once the programme is over then there is another meeting - this time to discuss what was good in the programme - and how we can make it even better tomorrow!
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