New BBC2 Forecast slot - 23:18

[shuggee]

Susan Powell presented the new BBC2 forecast - immediately after Newsnight (Newsnight Scotland up here). There I was all intrigued, thinking, well it's potentially a particularly intelligent audience after the heavyweight news programme, will the BBC Forecast Team at last be presenting a grown-up version of the weather forecast?

Not a chance. Bog standard News24/BBC News presentation. No pressure charts - no in-depth knowledge explained. Why don't these people understand the difference between Tabloid Readers and those reading more in-depth newpapers? If the Times and the Telegraph can trust their readership to understand an Atlantic chart - why can't our national public interest broadcaster similarly meet the needs of this market?

[Stu_London]

Susan Powell presented the new BBC2 forecast - immediately after Newsnight (Newsnight Scotland up here). There I was all intrigued, thinking, well it's potentially a particularly intelligent audience after the heavyweight news programme, will the BBC Forecast Team at last be presenting a grown-up version of the weather forecast?

Not a chance. Bog standard News24/BBC News presentation. No pressure charts - no in-depth knowledge explained. Why don't these people understand the difference between Tabloid Readers and those reading more in-depth newpapers? If the Times and the Telegraph can trust their readership to understand an Atlantic chart - why can't our national public interest broadcaster similarly meet the needs of this market?

What is a pressure chart?

[VillagePlank]

What is a pressure chart?

Its a histogram with forum users along the x-axis and how badly the moderators dislike such users extending up the y-axis.

I think

[Stu_London]

Its a histogram with forum users along the x-axis and how badly the moderators dislike such users extending up the y-axis.

I think

that makes perfect sense

[Geordiesnow]

Remember though Shuggee, the forecaster only got an limit amount of time to present a forecast so maybe they have not got time for pressure charts especially since touring the UK at 8/9AM introduced with the graphics. Joe public may not understand them but joe public will never understand them if the forecasts are not used. Would joe public understand the basics of a pressure charts? eg whats high pressure and what low pressure? Having saying that most people want to know weather its going to rain or not and don't care about the pressure charts and i feel people written in to get rid of them sadly.

Sadly only the Countryfile forecasts offer you pressure charts these days.

[shuggee]

I see what you're saying GS - but this new forecast following Newsnight with potentially the most informed audience of any evening programme, is surely the best opportunity on the whole of UK tv atm to do something a bit more 'high brow'. Afterall, everyone's managed to get their weather information elsewhere for the last 50 years - so why not try something different which the audience at that time slot might appreciate, rather than repeating something that is on News24 9 minutes later?

[Nick F]

It's not even a new concept the forecast after Newsnight, there always used to be a long-running decent 3-4 minute forecast back in the 90s and 80s around that time on BBC2 after NN, it was usually well presented with all the synoptic discussion to go with it too.

Today, the forecasts are pretty random when they do bother with synoptic charts - I did see an after the main news forecast recently with synoptic charts on show, but they are the exception now rather than the rule like they used to be.

[davehsug]

Where would people like me have learned about pressure charts & the like without the BBC?

It is so tremendously sad that BBC forecasts have descended to the level of ITV & tabloid forecasts of a few years ago.

The only regular forecast which still shows a pressure chart is the BBC4 forecast & the countryfile Sunday & even that is a pale shadow of what it used to be.

Where will the next generation of kids inspired to study meteorology in depth come from? Are we to be condemned to a generation of BBC breakfast tottie?

Bad times for TV weather. Thank God for the internet

Dave

[mezzacyclone]

Not bigging up the yanks - but their forecasts are so interesting, showing the areas liable to Shear where the likes of Dean and Felix are forecast to go for example?

I remember the weather channel that was on Sky satellite about 10 years ago, to think our channels have now lowered the detail and become more basic is pathetic.

Ah well, long live the legitamacy of the BBC licence fee and all that ,

for the money i'd expect doppler radar images for UK Counties but all i get is bimbos in casual clothing waffling on about crap whilst batting their eyelashes to look appealing in the off chance some bi££ionaire record producer spots some 'talent' or alternatively limbering up for some cushty extended maternity pay for a year or 3.

Bring back Ian McAskill and the Licorice charts!

Not this chap:

[Geordiesnow]

I see what you're saying GS - but this new forecast following Newsnight with potentially the most informed audience of any evening programme, is surely the best opportunity on the whole of UK tv atm to do something a bit more 'high brow'. Afterall, everyone's managed to get their weather information elsewhere for the last 50 years - so why not try something different which the audience at that time slot might appreciate, rather than repeating something that is on News24 9 minutes later?

I sort of agree but i'm sure i heard when the graphics was introduced that the forecasts were to be made more simple and easier to follow. Obviously people did not understand the pressure charts hence you see less of them. Not all newsnight viewers are interested in the weather as us people on this forum so maybe thats why they are not using them.

In the news 24 forecasts pressure charts only seemed to be used when a major weather patten is changing but these are rare occasions John Hammond showing a possible northerly scnario on the 10:35 forecast for example or whenever the presenter decided to use them.

However there is some good news pressure charts are being used on the local forecasts(Look north NE and Cumbria) quite alot showing the isobars for the next 5 days so there is a positive but i guess the policy made to forecasters make the forecasts simple to follow or people will switch off and to be fair pressure charts are not the easiest to follow.

[Gavin P]

New time slot, same old useless BBC forecasts! If anybody knows me from TWO, they will know exactly what I think of BBC forecasts since May 2005, but lets just say you can have more fun, interest and knowlage from watching drying paint on a wall, than you can have from watching BBC weather forecasts....

We had it so good, for so long, but we didn't appreciate what we had until it went.

Edited September 4, 2007 by Gavin P

[davehsug]

And as if by magic! Mr Corbett showed a brief glimpse of a pressure chart on tonight's evening forecast. Strange, when there would have been many more interesting charts to show in the last few months. Perhaps one or two are getting sick of reffering to areas of high/low pressure & want us to have a look!

Or is he reading this thread

Dave

[PB22]

New time slot, same old useless BBC forecasts! If anybody knows me from TWO, they will know exactly what I think of BBC forecasts since May 2005, but lets just say you can have more fun, interest and knowlage from watching drying paint on a wall, than you can have from watching BBC weather forecasts....

We had it so good, for so long, but we didn't appreciate what we had until it went.

Couldn't agree more Gavin. The BBC weather forecasts now are quite frankly terrible. Thats not the fault of the forecasters though, losing those old weather symbols to the current graphics package was the turning point IMO, and it looks like things will never be the same again.

[BARRY]

Remember though Shuggee, the forecaster only got an limit amount of time to present a forecast so maybe they have not got time for pressure charts especially since touring the UK at 8/9AM introduced with the graphics. Joe public may not understand them but joe public will never understand them if the forecasts are not used. Would joe public understand the basics of a pressure charts? eg whats high pressure and what low pressure? Having saying that most people want to know weather its going to rain or not and don't care about the pressure charts and i feel people written in to get rid of them sadly.

Sadly only the Country file forecasts offer you pressure charts these days.

O no they don't David brain BBC spotlight southwest use's pressure charts quite often

[J10]

It's ironc that BBC Local forecast have shown far more synoptic charts since the onset of the new graphics, and the graphics I find far superior to the old ones.

IMO the BBC forecast is still by far the best on the box.

I have also made many comments on the subject on this thread. http://www.netweather.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=17836

[Thundery wintry showers]

I have often questioned the BBC's audience research, and also noted that it's possible to word questions in such 'research' to get the answers you want.

For example, there is a big difference between people not understanding pressure charts fully, and not understanding them at all. The BBC seem to get the impression that most people are in the latter category; in my experience most are actually in the former category.

The optimal policy is surely to make forecasts cater for all groups such that there is the detailed information for those who want it, while those with zero interest get to find out whether it will be warm or cold, wet or dry. There is no reason why those with any interest should have to be sacrificed for the benefit of those with no interest.

The biggest irony of all is that the BBC local forecasts, in my view, used to be no better than ITV's, and since the launch of the new graphics, they have improved considerably. If people are supposed to have zero knowledge of, or interest in, the weather, when it comes to national forecasts, why would they be any different for local forecasts? It doesn't add up.

[J10]

I have often questioned the BBC's audience research, and also noted that it's possible to word questions in such 'research' to get the answers you want.

For example, there is a big difference between people not understanding pressure charts fully, and not understanding them at all. The BBC seem to get the impression that most people are in the latter category; in my experience most are actually in the former category.

The optimal policy is surely to make forecasts cater for all groups such that there is the detailed information for those who want it, while those with zero interest get to find out whether it will be warm or cold, wet or dry. There is no reason why those with any interest should have to be sacrificed for the benefit of those with no interest.

The biggest irony of all is that the BBC local forecasts, in my view, used to be no better than ITV's, and since the launch of the new graphics, they have improved considerably. If people are supposed to have zero knowledge of, or interest in, the weather, when it comes to national forecasts, why would they be any different for local forecasts? It doesn't add up.

Sensible comments as always on this.

When the next re jig comes around, and the new style forecasts were launched in May 2005. I hope that a better balance can balance can be found, between the new graphics and the use of synoptics which should be increased.

In the meantime, there should be at least Countryfile in depth forecast on the BBC every day, and the 1115 forecast seems a good time. and this should also be the one used on BBCi.

[saint]

alot of the bbc forcasts are rubbish but local forcasts seem to be very good lately very strange , anyone else notice this

saint

[shuggee]

Indeed saint

The biggest irony of all is that the BBC local forecasts, in my view, used to be no better than ITV's, and since the launch of the new graphics, they have improved considerably. If people are supposed to have zero knowledge of, or interest in, the weather, when it comes to national forecasts, why would they be any different for local forecasts? It doesn't add up.

I wonder if it has to do with editorial control. The big boys (and girls) in London doing the main UK foreacsts and News24 are told to do the lowest common-denominator thing. Whilst in the regions and Scotland/Wales/NI foreasters are free of such nonesense and present what they consider to be a balanced forecast.

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Couldn't agree more Gavin. The BBC weather forecasts now are quite frankly terrible. Thats not the fault of the forecasters though, losing those old weather symbols to the current graphics package was the turning point IMO, and it looks like things will never be the same again.

When was the last time we heard "Isobar" mentioned ??

[Cookie]

I find myself increasing disspiointed by weather forcasts on the tv, even the sky weather forcast you can get on by the red button is still rubbish ( evern though it the longest most detailed forcast you cant get on tv)

The bbc's moveing around the screen dose my head in

[Turnedoutniceagain]

even the sky weather forcast you can get on by the red button is still rubbish

Everytime I press the Red button my telly goes off !! What a rip-off

[Cookie]

are you pressing the right red button ?

[Turnedoutniceagain]

are you pressing the right red button :lol: ?

There's more than one ??

[Cookie]

I thought you may have got you'r tv red off button and the sky button mixed up