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mrlloyd123

Listed below are comments made by mrlloyd123 between Monday, 21st April 2008 and Friday, 25th April 2008.

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Overemphasis on Zimbabwe? 12:24pm on 25 Apr 2008 I personally wouldn't say you should focus on other stories to the detriment of Zimbabwe, it is an important story of great interest to this country. With only limited time in the bulletins it probably is right that Zimbabwe takes priority over things like Somalia simply becuase it is of more national interest. IMO you provide excellent coverage and BBC News does a very important job for Britain and the world. HOwever, you should be trying harder to bring unknown stories to the nation aswell.

What I always find confusing and fairly annoying is that there is BBC News 24 (or whatever it is called now) and yet all the reporting on the channel over 24 hours could be put into a few minutes. IMO there is far too much repetition on the channel and it would serve the public much better if it also covered the lesser known stories such as Somalia and brought them to the attention of the general public. There is plenty of time to do it and as mentioned in the blog, there are correspondents available.

The BBC has a massive network of reporters and is also able to use its reputation to share resources with other networks and work together. So why does it seem that some correspondents go weeks/months without really doing anything? Why does it seem that just a handful stories are chosen and then everything else is ignored? I hope it is not simply down to trying to save money.

I think the radio does do a slightly better job, perhaps because it is not as obsessed with ratings and trying appeal to as wide an audience as possible. However, there is still a lot of repetition despite there being quite a lot of time to cover lesser known stories.

So yes, continue to cover Zimbabwe but don't think there is no room for other stories because of it. The BBC has a wide range of resources and TV and Radio (and online) and you should be finding the room to cover the stories such as Somalia. Even if it is only a small amount of coverage. Delivering the news, both well known and unknown, should be at the core of the BBC, it is good at the moment but there is room for improvement.
To tie or knot..? 5:05pm on 22 Apr 2008 As long as the clothes are appropriate, unoffensive and/or don't show strong allegiance to a particular athlete/team then I don't mind what they wear. For example, Gary Lineker wearing a Cardiff shirt for the FA Cup final would obviously be wrong, so would him being dressed as a schoolgirl. I don't think there is much danger of that though.

I couldn't really say I have ever been annoyed or put off by what someone is wearing on any BBC Sport programme as you tend to stick to fairly simple clothing which isn't really controversial (that's not a criticism). As you say, I think the most important thing when it comes to what they are wearing is that the person is comfortable. If they are not, then they will be distracted and so what they are saying and doing will be affected which is far more important.

Without sounding like Trinny and Susannah, I think the middle ground of smart casual, i.e. smart trousers/jeans and a shirt, is usually the best way to go and perhaps in the biggest events such as the final of a conpetition, then they should dress in slightly more formal wear but still not going over the top so it looks like they are getting married. The middle ground makes it a relaxing and entertaining atmosphere without taking away any credibility and respectability from the programme. There is no point in trying to set a new fashion trend or break the mould of sports broadcasting attire.

As I say, I don't care too much, as long as it doesn't distract the viewer or affect the quality of the coverage then they can wear what they want. To be honest I think the BBC gets it pretty spot on right now.
New News 11:37am on 21 Apr 2008 There will inevitably be lots of complaints, people love to criticise the BBC and they would do it even if the thing is perfect. But I like the changes, they make it look a bit fresher and better to look at IMO. Unlike others I like the grey, it makes the text easier to read and also makes the bar a bit more distinctive. I disagree that it is not bright enough, just because it is grey that doesn’t mean it is dark. Why does it have to be bright anyway? Surely making everything nice and bright would be part of the “dumbing down” which is another accusation being made?

I like the opening sequence, it keeps the strong and easily recognisable BBC brand but again, makes it a bit more fresh and modern.

I don’t understand the name changes though, I see very little benefit out of changing them. As many have said, “BBC News 24” is unique and distinctive, there is no need to change that. The changes of the bulletin names is also pointless and simply makes it sound more like ITV News.

I am not fond of the new background either, although in a strange way I like it I feel it would be better to either have live shots of somewhere or to at least be looking onto the newsroom like the old one. The new background closes everything off and IMO goes against the idea of trying to make things a bit more clean and fresh.

I am undecided about whether the changes were necessary, although I understand the reasoning behind them. It seems to me though like you finish a rebrand of BBC News and start another straight away. There are some people who seem to think there is never a need to change, a quick look at BBC News a few decades ago shows that sticking with the same would be wrong and that change is appropriate, as long as it is not done too often which IMO you are somewhat guilty of.

Overall, I like the changes (apart from the new names which make no sense to me) and think they are an improvement. They are a little more clean, fresh and distinctive whilst managing to keep the strong BBC brand. Many of the complaints contradict each other which I think illustrates just how tough a job rebranding something like this is. It is impossible to completely please everyone but I think over time most people will become accustomed to it and have no real problems.

Good work.

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