Midlands Today

Midlands Today
Midlands Today titles
Format	Regional News
Presented by	Nick Owen Suzanne Virdee (Main Anchors) Ian Winter (Main Sports Presenter) Shefali Oza Genelle Aldred Ben Rich Simon Keeling (Weather Presenters)
Production
Producer(s)	BBC Midlands
Running time	Main bulletin: 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One West Midlands
Original run	28 September 1964 – present
Chronology
Related shows	East Midlands Today Central News

Midlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for the West Midlands region, which covers the West Midlands county, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire. Midlands Today began on 28 September 1964, from a small studio in Broad Street, Birmingham.

Broadcasts

Midlands Today's signal originates from Sutton Coldfield or can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite channel 979 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite service, via Astra 2D at 28.2 degrees East. The latest edition is also available to view again on the Midlands Today website anytime.

Midlands Today is produced by BBC Midlands and broadcasts on BBC One during the regional news slots during and following the main national news. The programme is produced and broadcast from the BBC studios in The Mailbox, Birmingham which has been its base since 25 October 2004. Journalists are also based at newsrooms in Wolverhampton, Coventry, Hereford, Worcester, Stoke-on-Trent, and Shrewsbury.

The programme began broadcasting from a small room in the Birmingham Register Office and moved to the custom-built Pebble Mill broadcasting centre in Edgbaston on 10 November 1971. It remained there until the studios closed on 22 October 2004.

Coverage area

Until 1991, "Midlands Today" covered the entire Midlands region - the East Midlands counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire are now covered by BBC East Midlands Today based in Nottingham.

On Air

On weekdays, Midlands Today broadcasts six three-minute opt-outs during BBC Breakfast at around 25 and 55 minutes past each hour. A fifteen-minute lunchtime programme follows at 1:30pm and a short mid-afternoon update at 3pm (with sign language), before the main half-hour edition at 6:30pm. A short 30-second headlines update is broadcast during the 8pm BBC News Summary and a seven-minute late update is shown at 10:25pm, following the BBC News at Ten.

Midlands Today also airs four bulletins during the weekend: a lunchtime bulletin on Saturday, early evening bulletins on Saturday & Sunday and a late night bulletin on Sundays, following the BBC News at Ten. The times of these bulletins usually vary.

Presenters

The main 6.30pm presenters are Nick Owen (formerly a presenter of Good Morning with Anne and Nick) and Suzanne Virdee. Other presenters include Kay Alexander, Michael Collie (formerly a presenter on Countryfile and Top Gear), Sarah Falkland and Satnam Rana. Shefali Oza, Genelle Aldred and Ben Rich present weather and Ian Winter is the main sports presenter.

Former presenters have included Tom Coyne, the late Alan Towers (until July 1997), David Stevens, David Davies, Kathy Rochford (who transferred to the East Midlands), Sue Beardsmore, Matt Smith, Julian Worricker, Ashley Blake (who was sacked in August 2009 after being found guilty of wounding and perverting the course of justice), Bernardette Kearney and Michael Buerk.

Senior presenter Alan Towers's on-air departure in July 1997 (after twenty five years) brought about one of the most controversial moments in the programme's history when he shared indignant views on the state of BBC management, describing them as pygmies in grey suits wearing blindfolds.^[1]

The team

Main anchors

Bulletin/stand-in presenters

Sports presenters

Weather presenters

Reporters

References

External links

BBC portal

• BBC Midlands Today at BBC Online
• Latest programme