0:00:00 > 0:00:04And now it's time for Newswatch. This week, we examine the changes to
0:00:04 > 0:00:07the BBC weather forecasts.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Hello and welcome to Newswatch with me, Samira Ahmed.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11On the show...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13How wise was it for a BBC reporter to be following this
0:00:13 > 0:00:17woman down a dark street?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And the BBC's weather forecasts have had a makeover
0:00:20 > 0:00:30but are they clearer or have they made the picture more murky?
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Tuesday marked 100 years since some women receive the right to vote
0:00:33 > 0:00:35and Breakfast marked the occasion with an all-female line-up,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38from the two main presenters to sports and weather presenters
0:00:38 > 0:00:39and a roster of women guests.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Some members of the audience approved...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Thank you for a show presented exclusively by women.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Well done.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51But, she went on, what happened to the usual black and minority
0:00:51 > 0:01:01ethnic presenters that are on the show?
0:01:03 > 0:01:04And Iryna questioned the whole idea.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07In doing this, the BBC is demeaning women because it shows that
0:01:07 > 0:01:10according to the BBC, women get exposure because of their
0:01:10 > 0:01:15gender, not ability.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Across BBC News that day, the anniversary was recognised.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Kevin Jones applauded the coverage as a whole but had
0:01:32 > 0:01:40one major reservation.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04Wednesday evening's bulletins included a report
0:02:04 > 0:02:07from Michael Buchanan about an NHS Trust in Liverpool where according
0:02:07 > 0:02:09to a report seen by BBC News, patients had suffered unnecessary
0:02:09 > 0:02:12harm because a senior leadership team was out of its depth.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18The chief executive at the time, Bernie Cuthel, was tracked
0:02:18 > 0:02:20down on the News at Six.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22We tried to get an interview with her.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23Excuse me.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24Bernie Cuthel.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29BBC News.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32We would like to talk to you about Liverpool community health.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34We just want to ask you a couple of questions.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Are you a bully, Ms Cuthel?
0:02:36 > 0:02:37Are you a bully, Ms Cuthel?
0:02:37 > 0:02:39And as you can see, Bernie Cuthel did not
0:02:39 > 0:02:40want to answer any questions.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44A later version of that report for the News at Ten made it clear
0:02:44 > 0:02:46that Bernie Cuthel had not responded to two previous requests
0:02:46 > 0:02:48for an interview.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51But some viewers of the News at Six were clearly unhappy
0:02:51 > 0:02:53at what they had seen, with Michelle Smith explaining why
0:02:54 > 0:03:02in this video she recorded for us.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I was absolutely appalled to see that the reporter
0:03:04 > 0:03:07who wanted a comment from her was chasing her down a dark
0:03:07 > 0:03:10street, as she was walking alone, shouting at her and running
0:03:10 > 0:03:12after her, to get a quote, asking her questions
0:03:12 > 0:03:13like, are you a bully?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Well, in my opinion, BBC, your reporter was
0:03:15 > 0:03:16the bully in this case.
0:03:16 > 0:03:26And it was absolutely unnecessary.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Well, we put that objection to BBC News and they told us...
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Please do let us know your thoughts on anything we are covering
0:04:05 > 0:04:08in the programme or on any aspect of BBC News.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Details on how to contact us coming up at the end of the programme.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Now, since its first radio weather bulletin in 1922,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17the data used for BBC forecasts has been provided by the Met office.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18But no longer.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Although the Met Office will still work with the BBC
0:04:20 > 0:04:23on severe weather warnings, BBC now has a new weather
0:04:23 > 0:04:25service provider.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Although the presenters are the same, there is also
0:04:28 > 0:04:30a new look seen online on the weather app and from last
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Tuesday, on television.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37For that day's News at One, Sarah Keith Lucas talked
0:04:37 > 0:04:43through some of the changes.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Let's zoom into northern England and in this example,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48you can see quite clearly the showers falling as rain but also
0:04:48 > 0:04:49as snow over the higher ground.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And it is not only on the small scale that things are changing.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54But also on the global scale.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57We can now look at satellite data from right around the world,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59we can also add on pressure fields and frontal systems.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Well, some members of the audience have responded
0:05:01 > 0:05:03with enthusiasm like Adam.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15But Paul Smith complained of a lack of clarity.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Apart from the change from a brown to green background,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41some viewers detected a change in the shape of the map,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43with the new, longer, thinner version giving more
0:05:43 > 0:05:51space to Scotland.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Others objected to the increased text shown on screen,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07with Dennis Franklin writing...
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Well, to answer that question and others I'm
0:06:20 > 0:06:21joined by Liz Howell, the
0:06:21 > 0:06:22head of BBC weather.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Thank you for coming on Newswatch.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28People are saying it wasn't broke, why did you
0:06:28 > 0:06:30change the weather?
0:06:30 > 0:06:31Well, under EU laws we had to run a regulated
0:06:31 > 0:06:33procurement process when our previous contract ran out.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35And quite simply, Meteo Group was the best
0:06:35 > 0:06:36fit.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37In every respect.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39And so that's why they were awarded the contract.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42So what are some of the specific changes you've
0:06:42 > 0:06:43made that will notice?
0:06:43 > 0:06:45We're really excited about some of these.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47So we have realistic mapping, so we can put roads
0:06:47 > 0:06:50on their and urban areas on there so we can show where
0:06:50 > 0:06:51weather is affecting travel.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53We have on the app and on the website 14
0:06:53 > 0:06:56days now of forecast data for each hour of the day.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58We have a feels like temperature, which really tells
0:06:58 > 0:07:01people what it's going to be like when they step out the door.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03We have a percentage chance of rain.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Alongside that now the forecasters and presenters have far more
0:07:05 > 0:07:13forecasting models available to them than they ever had before.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Are they more accurate?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Well, we have, yes, we have more high-resolution data.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21And we have more models to choose from.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22The accuracy should go up.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25People have got used to more realistic mapping and that's what
0:07:25 > 0:07:26we've introduced.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29We've got a green map and we've got a green earth in
0:07:29 > 0:07:30the UK.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33We got a flat map now which gives a better proportion to the UK,
0:07:33 > 0:07:34a more realistic proportion.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36And people needed a more modern and contemporary look,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38actually they had got, through audience research, they
0:07:38 > 0:07:41had got slightly bored with the brown map.
0:07:41 > 0:07:49It looks like a reversion to a flat earth.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Well, there are many projections of the Earth.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Previously we had a tilted one and of course some people
0:07:54 > 0:07:55weren't happy with that.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57But this is a projection people are really comfortable with
0:07:57 > 0:08:02in the sense they are used to it, it's one you see on the news, it's
0:08:02 > 0:08:08used in many other organisations.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Why are they saying it's more skinny?
0:08:10 > 0:08:11They've noticed it's different.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12Well, it's just proportional.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17It's more proportional to the actual landmass of the UK.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19We do get viewers complaining about the
0:08:19 > 0:08:21change of colour and the mapping detail and that actually it looks
0:08:22 > 0:08:24less clear, they would say.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Obviously we've only launched a few days ago.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28We've done a lot of audience testing with this work.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31We'll be listening to audience feedback.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33You might tweak it?
0:08:33 > 0:08:34There are definitely going to be tweaks to
0:08:34 > 0:08:35this overtime.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Definitely.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Good, good, good.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39A related point.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41The size of the place names.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Tom Holt, who also happens to be a lecturer in
0:08:43 > 0:08:44glaciology, e-mailed us.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The label for Birmingham stretches almost entirely across the Cambrian
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Mountains.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54He can't see the weather for a huge stretch of Wales.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56It's hardly a user-friendly.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57People have different opinions about labels and
0:08:57 > 0:09:01towns and cities on the map so we've had comments they are too small,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03comments there are too many, comments there are too few.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05We've had comments we shouldn't have any
0:09:05 > 0:09:09town names on the map at all.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Maybe fewer.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Exactly.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14That's one of the many options people are writing into
0:09:14 > 0:09:15us about.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Over the years News watch viewers have often complained about
0:09:17 > 0:09:20too much detail for whole parts of the country they don't care about
0:09:20 > 0:09:22because they don't live there.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23How do you approach that whole kind of
0:09:23 > 0:09:26competing demand situation, giving a national picture in the time you
0:09:26 > 0:09:29have and give you enough local detail for it to be useful?
0:09:29 > 0:09:31We tend to go for the bigger impact weather
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and start there and make sure people, where they are going to get
0:09:34 > 0:09:37storms or snow, or whatever, understand the impact and the
0:09:37 > 0:09:38relevance of that for them.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40We try to give something for every nation
0:09:40 > 0:09:41so somebody goes away with something.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44BBC weather is a catalogue of services, so you have
0:09:44 > 0:09:46the network service that will give you the UK picture.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48You can have a regional TV service which will give
0:09:48 > 0:09:50you a much more detailed picture.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Then the app which really
0:09:51 > 0:09:53we've improved so much now.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56We'll give you a very, very local forecast for your postcode
0:09:56 > 0:10:06each hour of the day.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Liz Howell, thank you very much.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Finally, we woke up on Monday morning to some
0:10:13 > 0:10:16big sports news.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Big enough at least to lead sports bulletins and be the
0:10:18 > 0:10:20lead story on the BBC sport website.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles had won the Super Bowl for the first time by
0:10:23 > 0:10:25beating the New England Patriot.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27If that leaves you cold, or even mystified, others, too, wonders why
0:10:27 > 0:10:30an American sporting event had achieved such prominence on British
0:10:30 > 0:10:35television.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Here is David Gibbs.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I am a little perplexed by the BBC's continuing
0:10:38 > 0:10:39high profile interest in
0:10:39 > 0:10:44American football.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Thank you for all your comments this week.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09If you want to share your opinions on BBC News and current
0:11:09 > 0:11:16affairs, or even appear on the programme, you can call us...
0:11:16 > 0:11:19E-mail Newswatch...
0:11:19 > 0:11:22You can find us on twitter...
0:11:22 > 0:11:23Do have a look at our website.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29The address for that is...
0:11:29 > 0:11:30That's all from us.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32We'll be back to hear your thoughts about BBC news
0:11:32 > 0:11:33coverage again next week.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39Goodbye.