MORE NEWS ON FOUR (Channel 4 News)

Member Name: JB01

Product:	Channel 4 News
Date:	17/05/06 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A little later in the evening than terrestial most TV news, Free.

Disadvantages: Too long and not that local.

Channel 4 terrestrial TV news. On 6 night a week Sunday to Friday. Monday to Friday the programme runs from 19.00 - 20.00 (it finishes a little earlier on Friday at 19.40). saturday & Sundays at different times. The have recently introduced the News at Noon between Monday and Friday. It is available on digital, satellite & cable as well as analogue transmission. Across the UK except Wales.

The programme has won many awards so far for 2006 it has swept the board in the TV awards for Journalism (The Royal Television Society). It has also been awarded by BAFTA, Bar Council, Racial Equality to name a few.

The most predominant presenter is the by now famous Jon Snow a regular on the show since 1989. Others include Alex Thompson since 1998, Krishna Guru - Murthy after 10 years on BBC, Simira Ahmed who also has experience with the BBC, Sarah Smith on More4 News since its launch, Lindsey Hilsum the News's International Editor, Gary Gibbon who succeeds Elinor Goodman as Political Editor, Jonathon Miller, Foreign Affairs Correspondent since 2003, Simon Israel, the Home affairs Correspondent and Nick Glass the Arts Correspondence.

The presenters adopt a variety of positions in the studio, sometimes standing sometimes seated behind a desk - Is there any reason for these differing poses? The programme starts with an outline of the major news items to be covered during the programme. Oddly the background to the presenters seem full of colour and object of a rather ill defined nature. The areas around the screens for presentations and in the foreground are translucent rather like the set from a science fiction movie.

The screens project live broadcasts from around the UK and the Globe. Interactive visual presentations between presenters in the studio and commentators elsewhere offer discussion and commentary on the NEWS items being discussed. New digital technology means that videotapes are used less and video footage is sent via the Internet. Satellite becomes less necessary; broadband offers the necessary speed. The development of ENPS (Electronic News Production System) software has also helped.

Today live broadcast covers a varied choice of subjects including ID cards, immigration and deportation, share prices at the LSE (falling FTSE), the Vauxhall car factory and redundancies with commentary fro Alistair Darling live from Westminster. On a lighter point the divorce of Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife Heather. And HE lecturers striking for more pay.

C4 now have an additional news broadcast at mid day (12.00 - 12.30). This follows the same format as that in the evening.

Unlike the BBC and other terrestrial commercial news programmes there is no time for regional UK news such as channel 3 who have London tonight in my area. This helps make the programme more unique in its presentation and therefore offers more time for items of an international nature. The agile use of ICT means live and recorded broadcasts from the studio and elsewhere can be can be interfaced for a more exciting presentation. Tonight my only complaint Jon Snow postures left something to be desired. The hour length makes it rather tiresome to watch sometimes. One obviously needs to plan for this event. Still a news programme to be watched once or twice a week.

Summary: A serious news programme with news from around the UK the world.