SKY NEWS (Sky News)

Member Name: JB01

Product:	Sky News
Date:	14/07/06 (371 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 24 HOUR NEWS

Disadvantages: ?

Further to my initial investigations into channels available via my freeview digital box. SKY NEWS Europes 1st 24 hour news channel, part of a suite of channels launched by British Sky Broadcasting launched in February 1989. Its main competitors are BBC News 24, BBC World, Euronews, CNN. Available by satellite in Africa, the Middle East, Australia. Its website www.sky.com/news .

AVAILABILITY

Terrestial Freeview Channel 82
Satellite Sky digital 501
Cyfra + 677
Astra IKR #597v
DStr 52
Telewest 602
NTL 120

The station broadcasts from Osterley, West London. Sky News currently employs around 50 on-screen staff: anchors, weather forecasters, correspondents and reporters, and over 500 behind-the-scenes workers. The station has 7 bureaux outside the United Kingdom, Brussels, New Delhi, Johannesburg, Jerusalem, Moscow, Beijing and Washington. It has broadcast over 148,000 hours of continuous news since its start.

PRESENTATIONS

WEBSITE

The Sky.com website has 3 main sections on the left hand side a menu offering UK News, World News amongst others a video selection of broadcasts as well. The main picture in the centre showing the top stories. To the right a search engine and links to other useful sites. Along with all sorts of other useful information.

BROADCAST SCREEN

The bottom quarter of the picture has three stripes, a red strip with wording Breaking News. Underneath a white strip 2x the red size filled with black type concerned with the news headline and a few words of print explanation which often refers to the picture show and dialogue (often the case with features). under this a blue strip across the screen with the Sky logo and 24 hour clock (digital format). Too the right a scroll bar with printed information about events scrolling by (similar to that used on BBC News 24). Regular updates both written and verbal offer a list of the top stories.

The screen presentation varies, sometimes 2 windows each with a broadcaster, other times a full picture of 2 presenters behind a desk. I’ve also seen 4 windows during a presentation with communication between them. Regular features mentioned on the website are James Rubin “World News Tonight” and Kay Burley “Lunchtime live with Kay Burley”.

Between programmes short commercial breaks and weather reports.
Awards include a BAFTA for September 11 2001 broadcasts. the channel has been featured in many blockbusting films including “Independence Day” and “Mission Impossible”.

MY OPINION

The channel has a reputation for journalistic integrity, this tends to show up during many of its broadcast particularly subjects of a sensitive area. It has kept most of its original team of presenters from its launch including the now retired Bob Friend OBE. I find it re assuring to see the same broadcasters on other news programmes, I have yet to check out this channel overtime (updates to follow). After its move to Osterly in 2005 the channel started to broadcast in wide screen, I’ve yet to try this, the football and pictures like today’s from Israel showing Hezbolla missile attacks could look increasingly dynamic. Like most 24 hour news channels Sky makes for fairly dynamic news presentation even though individual items tend to show for sometime. The 4 screen presentation concerning the G8 meeting soon to follow is an example of this. If you don’t yet have access to a 24 hour News channel this one might be worth checking out.

Summary: A professional 24 hour news package - available internationally.