Press Releases BBC One to pilot short news summary

Category: News; BBC One; West Midlands Regional TV
Date: 06.05.2007
Printable version

The BBC is to pilot a short news summary weekdays at 8pm on BBC One.

The pilot will run for four weeks in the Birmingham area starting from Wednesday 9 May 2007.

Three versions will be tested:

• a 60-second summary with national news;
• a longer 90-second version with national and regional news and weather;
• a 60-second version with both national and regional news.

The network element will be presented by BBC news presenter Natasha Kaplinsky and the regional by BBC Midlands Today presenter Suzanne Virdee.

The service will be evaluated at the end of the trial period.

The aim is for the summary to be an extension to the news portfolio adding value to and widening the BBC's services and the number of people reached by them.

It will maintain all the BBC's high editorial and journalistic standards and provide an extra opportunity for viewers to catch up on the news at a time convenient for them.

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