BBC News Given £550,000 Makeover

[Teddy Bear]

When you lack content, and any clue how to generate it, what do you do? Answer if you're the BBC is to concentrate on form. Having spent £700,000 just 5 years ago in a new 'identity', they are now spending over £550,00 again. For once their spokesman hits it right on the button when he says:

Mark Byford, the corporation's deputy director-general, said that the "refresh" was the first since 2003 and would allow the BBC to "stand out clearly, loudly and simply for what it is".

Yes it really does stand out for what it is, and I'm sure it's not the way you believe. Funny how 'impoverished they remember they are when it comes to justifying the poor quality of their output.

BBC news is given £500,000 makeover
By Nicole Martin
Last Updated: 1:26am BST 15/04/2008

The BBC's flagship news bulletins are to undergo their biggest redesign in five years at a cost of £550,000.

From Monday, the main news programmes, including the 10 O'Clock News, will have new opening credits.

Instead of a red globe on a black background, viewers will see a globe surrounded by pulsating rings on a white backdrop.

As part of the redesign, the 10 O'Clock News and One O'Clock News are also expected to share a studio with the BBC's rolling news channel.

The decision to spend more than £500,000 has been criticised.

John Whittingdale, the chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, said: "This will be a particular bitter pill to swallow for those working in news and current affairs who are facing budget cuts."

Mark Byford, the corporation's deputy director-general, said that the "refresh" was the first since 2003 and would allow the BBC to "stand out clearly, loudly and simply for what it is".

He denied that the redesign had been prompted by changes at rival broadcasters, including ITV.

[Teddy Bear]

Now it turns out the new 'identity' is causing some people to feel physical nausea, as opposed to those like myself who feel emotional nausea. it's worth going to the Telegraph webpage itself to read some of the comments posted there, not to mention the BBC website itself where the majority are highly critical and negative.

In typical fashion, the BBC editor has ignored the specific negative opinions of many of the comments posted to focus on the ones they find easier to respond to.

BBC News makeover triggers nausea
By Nicole Martin, Digital and Media Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:54am BST 23/04/2008

It cost £550,000 and was supposed to usher in a new era for the BBC. But the much-heralded redesign of the corporation's flagship news bulletins got off to a shaky start after viewers complained of dizziness and nausea.

Others criticised the makeover, which features a swirling red globe in the title sequences, as "a colossal waste" of licence-fee payers' money.

The BBC spent £500,000 on the new identity

The backlash against the redesign was prompted by Peter Horrocks, the head of the BBC's multi-media news operation, who wrote on his blog inviting people to comment on the changes.

He said that the new look reflected the BBC's "clear, unfussy, direct, straightforward and fresh" approach to news.

He also said that the names of individual bulletins had changed - for instance, BBC News 24 is now known as BBC News - as part of a drive to unify the corporation's news output.

"It's not intended to be a massive visual change," he wrote, "but an evolution and clarification of what we are about, to enable audiences to recognise the BBC News whenever and wherever they receive it."

However, from the messages which flooded the site, Mr Horrocks clearly underestimated the strength of feeling among BBC viewers.

While some praised the changes for giving BBC News "a clear, fresh and distinctive" identity, others complained that the changes induced sickness.

One said: "The way the globe keeps changing rather quickly and flashily makes my head spin rather. I don't know what effect it would have on an epileptic person."

Other disgruntled bloggers criticised the changes as "unnecessary and confusing".

One wrote: "What a complete waste of licence payers' money. Not only that but the logo is ugly and over complicated. The new look must have cost the BBC a fortune. Was it necessary? Probably not. Thanks for spending my money so wisely."

Another said: "Perhaps you could run a competition to see if viewers could do better than your highly paid consultants. That would be fair, wouldn't it? I'm sure my unborn child could do better; in less than zero time and would pay you for the honour!"

The response echoed the outcry three years ago when the BBC introduced new weather maps.

The corporation was forced to change its new three-dimensional weather map after viewers in the North and Scotland complained that they could not see what was happening.

Others said that the camera "flight" over the country was making them sick.

A BBC spokesman said: "Following Peter Horrocks' call for feedback there have been around 100 comments posted expressing a range of views about the changes - some negative and some positive."