East Midlands Today
East Midlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for the East Midlands.
| East Midlands Today | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | East Midlands Tonight |
| Genre | Regional News |
| Presented by | Anne Davies |
| Production | |
| Producer | BBC East Midlands |
| Running time | Main bulletin: 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One East Midlands |
| Picture format | PAL (576i, 16:9) |
| Original release | 7 January 1991 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Midlands Today (for the West Midlands) ITV News Central |
Anne Davies is the lead anchor of East Midlands Today, with her fronting the main evening programme (which airs every weekday, 6:30-7pm) from Monday-Thursday. Sarah Teale deputises the programme on Fridays.
The breakfast bulletins are short brief bulletins shown regularly throughout BBC Breakfast on weekdays. Usually, Carolyn Moses, Emily Anderson or Giles Taylor present these bulletins.
The weekday lunchtime bulletin is fronted by the day’s presenter of the breakfast updates on Mondays and Thursdays, mainly Anne Davies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and mainly Sarah Teale on Fridays. It airs every weekday (1:30-1:45pm).
Sarah also covers Anne's absence. However, when Sarah is unavailable, Emily Anderson or Navtej Johal present.
The late weekday bulletin is presented by Elise Chamberlain from Monday-Thursday, and Nicola Gilroy on Friday. Relief presenters include; Emily Anderson, Carolyn Moses, Victoria Hicks, Navtej Johal and Simon Ward. It airs every weekday (10:25-10:35pm)
Nicola also presents the weekend bulletins, with Carolyn Moses, Amy Payne, Jodi Law, Simon Ward, Victoria Hicks and Emily Anderson covering her absence.
Dominic Heale previously co-hosted for 20 years before his departure on 31 October 2020. He was reunited with his TV partner Anne Davies on the day of his farewell programme, after months of the two of them presenting single-headed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The programme is broadcast on BBC One from studios at the BBC's East Midlands broadcasting centre in Nottingham, also home to Radio Nottingham. The main transmitter for the programme is Waltham near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. The programme can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) from Astra 1N on Freesat channel 952 and Sky channel 960. The latest edition of East Midlands Today is also available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.
History
East Midlands Today was established as an independent programme on 7 January 1991, having previously been a part of Midlands Today, which now solely covers the West Midlands region. The split arose from criticisms of Midlands Today as being too centric on West Midlands coverage, although a service of separate opt-out bulletins for the region had been provided during the 1980s.
On 5 February 1996, the show introduced a double-anchored presentation with Quentin Rayner and Kathy Rochford. The programme's newer (generic) 'look', in line with most other BBC regional TV news programmes, was introduced on 16 September 2002, with an update on 6 September 2004. The current titles and graphics were introduced in July 2019.
Coverage area
Parts of the Government-defined East Midlands region may also receive BBC Look North (from Leeds or Hull), Look East, South Today or even, towards the Buxton area of Derbyshire, North West Tonight. All of Northamptonshire can receive East Midlands Today, but most of this area is covered by Look East and South Today. Some parts of south and west Leicestershire receive the West Midlands edition of Midlands Today.
In most of Lincolnshire, BBC regional news is supplied by Look North East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, broadcast from Hull. East Midlands Today still covers South Kesteven.
On air
- Short news bulletins every half-hour during BBC Breakfast
- A 15-minute lunchtime bulletin airs at 1:30pm, following the BBC News at One
- A 30-minute main edition of East Midlands Today is broadcast every weeknight between 6.30pm and 7.00pm
- A 5-minute late night bulletin, separately branded as East Midlands Tonight from 18 March 2019 to 22 January 2021, airs at 10.25pm on weekdays, following the BBC News at Ten
- A 5-minute bulletin on Saturday early evening
- A 5-minute bulletin on Sunday early evening
- A 5-minute bulletin is also broadcast on Sunday nights, following the BBC News at Ten
Presenters
News
- Carolyn Moses - Breakfast Updates, Monday-Friday, Lunchtime Bulletin, Monday/Thursday & Relief Presenter
- Emily Anderson - Breakfast Updates, Monday-Friday, Lunchtime Bulletin, Monday/Thursday & Relief Presenter
- Giles Taylor - Breakfast Updates, Monday-Friday & Lunchtime Bulletin, Monday/Thursday
- Anne Davies (Lead Anchor) – Lunchtime Bulletin, Tuesday/Wednesday & Main Programme, Monday-Thursday
- Sarah Teale – Lunchtime Bulletin/Main Programme, Friday & Relief Presenter
- Elise Chamberlain – Late Bulletin, Monday-Thursday & Relief Presenter
- Nicola Gilroy – Late Bulletin, Friday/Sunday, Evening Bulletin, Saturday/Sunday & Relief Presenter
- Navtej Johal - Relief Presenter
- Amy Payne – Relief Presenter
- Simon Ward – Relief Presenter
- Jodi Law – Relief Presenter
- Victoria Hicks – Relief Presenter
Weather
- Sara Blizzard
- Rich Davis
- Kaye Forster
- Anna Church
- Gillian Brown (Relief)
- Alexandra Hamilton (Currently on secondment)
- Oly Woodcock (Relief)
Former on air team
- Dominic Heale (Ex-main presenter 2001–2020)
- Lukwesa Burak (now with the BBC News channel & BBC World News)
- Jo Wheeler (freelance with Sky News)
- Des Coleman (now with ITV News Central)
- Martine Croxall (now with the BBC News channel & BBC World News)
- Shulie Ghosh (now with Al Jazeera English in Doha)
- Kylie Pentelow (now with ITV News)
- Priya-Kaur Jones (now with France 24)
- John Hess (Political correspondent until retiring in 2015, briefly returned for coverage on the EU Referendum in 2016)
- Maurice Flynn (ex-weekend presenter 2009–2019)
- Ivan Gaskell (now with BBC Sport)
- Sarah Stirk (now with Sky Sports)
- Nina Warhurst (now a business presenter on BBC Breakfast)[1]
References
- Sullivan, Gail (21 October 2020). "Nina Warhurst announced as new BBC Breakfast business presenter". BBC Online. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
https://www.rxtvlog.com/2020/03/bbc-streamlines-news-programmes-as.html