Spotlight (BBC South West News)

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NOTE: Not be confused with Spotlight, BBC Northern Ireland's weekly current affairs programme.
Spotlight

Main Spotlight titles

Channel Islands Spotlight titles
Format Regional News
Starring Victoria Graham,
Justin Leigh
Production
Producer(s) BBC South West
Running time Main bulletin:
30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run 1961
(as South West at Six) –
present

Spotlight is the BBC's regional news programme for the southwest of England, covering Cornwall, Devon, West Dorset, and Somerset. There is also a special version of the programme for viewers in the Channel Islands. The main version of the programme broadcasts between 18:30 and 18:58 on weekdays, with shorter bulletins at other times. The programme can be viewed anywhere in the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite channel 987/988 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite service. Its main competitors are ITV Westcountry's main evening programme Westcountry Live in Devon, Cornwall and West Dorset and ITV Channel Television's main evening programme Channel Report in the Channel Islands.

Spotlight is broadcast from BBC Broadcasting House in Seymour Road, Plymouth - this is the main headquarters for all BBC South West programming, on TV, radio and online. There are also smaller studios in Truro, Exeter, Paignton, Barnstaple and Taunton.

The programme originally began as South West at Six in 1961. [1]

From 1992 to 2000 Spotlight used a lighthouse within the opening titles of the programme. On 22 May 2000, Spotlight adopted the generic BBC regional news design. A new version of the lighthouse motif was established with new titles introduced on 2 May 2006, based upon the national news redesigned titles. The set, introduced based upon the national news in 2004, received a new window behind the presenters with a view looking out over Plymouth.

Contents

[edit] BBC Channel Islands

BBC Channel Islands (previously known as Spotlight Channel Islands) is a dedicated opt-out service for the Channel Islands. The news service for the islands is a relatively new innovation and is based at the studios of BBC Radio Jersey in St Helier. While its mainland counterpart is considered successful, it's offshore 'offshoot' has struggled to attract viewers from the long established ITV programme in the islands (Channel Report).

The opt-outs are presented by Gwyn Garfield-Bennett and produced by a team of multi-skilling journalists who write, film & edit their own stories and produce & direct the three bulletins for the Islands on weekdays. The main opt takes up the first twelve minutes of the nightly 6:30pm programme with a full opt at 10:25pm after the BBC News at Ten and a short 30-second update at 8:00pm. No opt-outs are broadcast during the day and at weekends.

[edit] The team

Currently, the Spotlight/BBC Channel Islands on-air team consists of:

[edit] Main presenters

  • Victoria Graham (Spotlight)
  • Justin Leigh (Spotlight)
  • Gwyn Garfield Bennett (BBC Channel Islands - also reporter)
  • Sophie Long (stand-in, Spotlight)

[edit] Sports presenters

  • Natalie Cornah (also stand-in)
  • Andy Breare (also stand-in)

[edit] Weather presenter

[edit] Other presenters

  • Rebecca Wills
  • Clare Casson
  • Carol Madge
  • Lucie Fisher
  • Carys Edwards
  • Aysha Iqbal
  • Amy Cole
  • Hamish Marshall (also East Devon video journalist)
  • Julia Peet (married to weatherman David Braine)
  • Jenny Walrond

[edit] Spotlight reporters

  • Simon Hall (Home Affairs Correspondent)
  • Adrian Campbell (Environment Correspondent)
  • Neil Gallacher (Business and Industry Correspondent)
  • Sally Mountjoy (Health Correspondent)
  • Marcus Wraight
  • Matt Pengelly
  • Louise Walter
  • Eleanor Parkinson
  • David George (Cornwall Correspondent)
  • Philip Loat (North Devon Correspondent)
  • Clinton Rogers (Chief Somerset Correspondent)
  • Mark Patterson (Somerset Correspondent)
  • Jonathan Hudston
  • Leigh Rundle
  • Johnny Rutherford
  • John Henderson

[edit] BBC Channel Islands reporting/production team

  • Roisin Gauson (Senior Correspondent, Guernsey/occassional presenter)
  • Emma Chambers (Studio Director)
  • Christie Tucker (Video Journalist, Jersey)
  • David Earl (Alderney Correspondent)
  • Suzy Steer-Fowler (Bi-media Journalist)
  • Edward Sault (Video Journalist, Jersey)
  • Ian Kelly (Producer/Assistant News Editor, Spotlight)

[edit] Past presenters

Past presenters include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ BBC South West presentation TVARK

[edit] External links

BBC Portal
v • d • e
BBC Nations & Regions Television News
English regions
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland


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