| BBC News 24
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| Launched: | 9th November 1997
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| Audience Share (Aug 2004[1] (http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/monthreports.cfm?report=monthgmulti)): | 0.6%
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| Owned By: | BBC
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| Web Address: | www.bbc.co.uk/news24
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| Availability
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| Terrestrial Analogue: | not available
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| Terrestrial Digital: | Freeview Channel 40
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| Satellite: | Sky Digital Channel 507
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| Cable: | NTL Channel 125
Telewest Digital Channel 610
Telewest Analogue Channel 10 (and default channel)
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BBC News 24 is the BBC's 24-hour news television channel in the UK, its international counterpart being BBC World. It first broadcast on November 9 1997 at 17:30 and was at first the only cable television subscribers could view. In 1999, with the advent of digital television in the UK, satellite viewers were able to view the service. It is now also broadcast on digital terrestrial, as part of the Freeview package, and online, if your UK ISP is partnered with the BBC.
The BBC were initially criticised for the cost of running BBC News 24 channel, with so few viewers. Their response was to promote the channel through their ordinary channels BBC1 and BBC2, using terrestrial signals, and this is seen by some as influential (to a certain limited extent) in promoting the take-up of digital television. Examples of News 24 network broadcasts include the September 11th attacks and the capture of Saddam Hussein.
In September 1999 the European Commission ruled against a complaint by Sky News which argued that the publicly funded News 24 was unfair and illegal under EU law. The EC ruled that the licence fee should be considered state aid but that such aid was justified due to the public service remit of the BBC and that it did not exceed actual costs.
The initial format of the channel was criticised as being less authoritative than other BBC News output, this being blamed on the radical colour and design of the set and the shirtsleeved male presenters. As a result the channel was relaunced on October 25 1999 with a new set which was based on the recently relaunched network news. This similarity was intended to increase the credibility of the channel and aid cross channel promotion.
In December 2002 the Lambert Report, an independent review commissioned by the government, criticised the BBC Governors for failing to ensure that News 24 had a distinct identity from the commercial rolling-news services provided by the ITV News Channel and Sky News. As a result the Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell announced new conditions on the "approvals" under which the BBC operates News 24.
In December 2003, the channel was relaunched, with cosmetic changes to the look and feel of the channel being the main obvious change. A new set was launched, replacing the "rhubarb and custard" beige and red design introduced in 1999. New graphics were also introduced, which are more attention grabbing, the channel signature theme tune was refreshed and a new 'live-rendered' title sequence designed. In addition, criticism was made that "no one notices breaking news" on the channel, so together with the new attention seeking graphics, a breaking news "sting" was developed, which is designed to grab people's attention whenever breaking news is flashed upon the screen. The relaunch also takes into account the criticisms in the Lambert Report, introducing more analysis and features into the schedules of the channel which makes it more distinctive from its commercial rivals.
The BBC's 2004 annual report (http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/) claims that News 24 outperformed Sky News in both weekly and monthly reach in multichannel homes for the January 2004 period, and for the first time in two years moved ahead of Sky News in being perceived as the channel best for news.
News 24 broadcasts from the News Centre in BBC Television Centre, West London.
See also: List of British television channels
External links
- BBC News 24 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/bbc_news_24/default.stm) website
- The Lambert Report (http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/publications/archive_2002/review_bbcnews24.htm) on the DCMS website
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