As others see us

How the BBC.com News front page looks to readers outside the UK this morning - not a single item of "News about Britain" above the fold...

The gift that keeps giving

Is it just one person at the BBC Studios HQ in New York who writes these mangled job ads, or are they all good at it ?

The Senior Designer for BBC StoryWorks Americas will serve a crucial role in our commercial business as a key contributor and collaborator as we bring to life partnership narratives and concepts through dynamic collateral that aids our team in a wide range of pre-sale and business development scenarios.

Club soda

A sedate start at the BBC Club's new home on the ground floor of New Broadcasting House: the management have yet to successfully transfer the drinks licence from their old base at Western/Wogan House. Soft drinks are available. 

Rumour mongers

A new technique emerged over the local elections; spinning on social media ahead of real results not only to take the sting out of heavy defeats - "we expected this all along"; but hinting, absolutely incorrectly, at possible surprise wins, just to disrupt things. 

Now that we have an actual swing from the Conservatives to Labour, I’d be interested in the sourcing of “it is clear tonight”. (The final Savanta poll got the result pretty much right.) https://t.co/UKrrn7Grar

— Roger Mosey (@rogermosey) May 4, 2024

Could the race for London mayor be closer than polls suggest?

As rumours circulate, listen to Laura Kuenssberg, Adam Fleming, Chris Mason and Faisal Islam on #BBCNewscast’s Local Electioncast

— BBC Sounds (@BBCSounds) May 3, 2024

Does Laura get it ?

Whilst voting patterns in local elections may not be reflected at a general election, it's not necessarily a given that Laura Kuenssberg will get The Big Gig after last night.

She's always been better at answering questions than asking them. There was her usual fast-paced presentation, which needs more light and shade over the long hours; she should be less frightened of gaps. Equally, she's no Dimbleby when it comes to unveiling research facts as if they were from deep within her well-stocked brain, or expressing producer's questions as if they were formed in extempore fashion on the spot. 

On the front line

 The operation to take the USA continues.... 

pic.twitter.com/v2amgFfR5J

— BBC Studios Press - U.S. (@BBCStudiosUSPR) May 1, 2024

“Our greatest competitor is news avoidance, and we are combating that. People will come for the facts and stay for the stories,” says @deborahturness (@BBCNews & Current Affairs) in conversation with Rebecca Glashow & @KattyKay_ (@bbcstudios) in the first session of #IABNewFronts pic.twitter.com/a7mZWPq0Z0

— IAB (@iab) May 1, 2024

pic.twitter.com/BNCfew1B0X

— BBC Studios Press - U.S. (@BBCStudiosUSPR) May 1, 2024

Campaign news

Stewart Purvis, formerly of ITN, Channel 4 News and Ofcom, is scathing about Ofcom's latest guidance on " News", "Current Affairs" and "Elections". 

“They are going to allow senior party officials to present election programmes. Not only that, to be absolutely clear, senior party officials can interview each other from the same party on programmes during a general election, which I think will come as a surprise to most people that that could be possible during a general election campaign.”

“If you're connected with a party but not a candidate, yes, you can present programmes, you can interview your friends from the from the party, you can do pretty much anything you want, within Ofcom’s new interpretation of the rules.”

Much more like that in Roger Bolton’s Beeb Watch    

News goes pop

Woken by thunder and lighting at 0209, to find that this was the most important news story according to those 'curating' the BBC News website....

Pheomelanin

 Lawks ! There's more of it.... 

Deborah in New York

The vainglorious attempt to save the BBC at home by selling BBC News in the United States continues apace. News CEO Deborah Turness has been to New York for a panel discussion on "Why News ? Why Now ?", at the end, next to former BBC DG Mark Thompson, now running CNN. 

She said News was working on more “single story livestreams,” which can be seen in the States on the BBC's FAST Channel. She claimed the channel, launched in March, "doubled our reach overnight"; there apparently wasn't a journalist on hand to ask the basic "From what, to what ?". 

Ms Turness also announced she's establishing a US unit of BBC Verify. Again, there's no report of how that's being funded.