BBC Midlands Today
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:BBC-midlandstoday.jpg BBC Midlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for the West Midlands region, which is comprised of The West Midlands county, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. It began on 28 September 1964, from a studio on Broad Street, Birmingham.
It is produced by BBC Birmingham and broadcasts on BBC One during the regional news opt-out from the main London network feed. It is made at the BBC studios in The Mailbox, and is also available on the Internet after the programme has been broadcast. It was first broadcast from the Pebble Mill studios in 1971, and had its last edition there on 22 October 2004.
Until 1991, Midlands Today covered the entire Midlands region - the East Midlands counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland are now covered by East Midlands Today based in Nottingham. The new look format started, like other local BBC TV news, on 16 September 2002.
The main 6.30pm presenters are Nick Owen (better known as a former presenter of Good Morning with Anne and Nick) and Suzanne Virdee. Other presenters include Kay Alexander (from Surrey, went to Birmingham University, started at Radio 4, and has presented since the 1970s), Michael Collie, and Ashley Blake. Shefali Oza presents weather and Steve Clamp presents sport.
Former presenters have included Alan Towers (until July 1997), David Stevens, David Davies, Kathy Rochford (who transferred to the East Midlands), Sue Beardsmore (from Bedford, studied at Newcastle University, and does the occasional voiceover for BBC Radio, such as announcing when an internet radio stream cannot be broadcast for legal reasons) and Julian Worricker (who now presents on Radio Five Live). When Alan Towers finally left in July 1997, he let the Midlands have his indignant views on the state of the BBC management on-air, as his parting shot.