South Today
Encyclopedia
South Today is the BBC
's regional television news programme for East Dorset
, Hampshire
, the Isle of Wight
, Berkshire
, West Sussex
and the western fringes of Surrey
. Since 2000, an opt-out of the main programme (now called BBC Oxford News) has also covered Oxfordshire
, the Swindon
area of Wiltshire
and parts of Buckinghamshire
.
's rival magazine programme Day by Day. For many years, the BBC's Southampton operations were based in South Western House, the former Cunard shipping line headquarters near the city's docks.
Taking over from the original South at Six programme in the 1970s, South Today produces eleven bulletins each weekday: 6 bulletins in the morning during BBC Breakfast, a short bulletin at 15:00, a 15-minute programme at 13:30, the half-hour main programme at 18:30, a headlines update at 20:00 and a 7-minute late night bulletin at 22:25. An additional four bulletins air during the weekend: a lunchtime bulletin on Saturday, early evening bulletins on Saturday & Sunday and a late night bulletin on Sundays, following the BBC News at Ten. The times of these bulletins usually vary.
The programme is broadcast live from studios in Southampton
. It can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite
channel 984/985 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite
service.
Prior to September 2001, South Today's region included areas served by the Heathfield Transmitter
and its relays which extended coverage as far East as Ashford
and North to parts of Tunbridge Wells including the key towns of Eastbourne
, Hastings
, Uckfield
, Lewes
& Rye
. These areas are now covered by the BBC's South East Today
.
. Previously, the area was covered by Newsroom South East
, which also served Greater London
and the South East. As part of a three-tier restructure of regional coverage, the Oxfordshire area was transferred to the BBC South
region and began dedicated opt-out bulletins within South Today. A year later, London and the South East split into two distinct regions: BBC London
and BBC South East
.
BBC Oxford News is presented by Geraldine Peers
on weekdays. Originally, South Today Oxford was broadcast from BBC South
's studios in Southampton
and presented by Heather McCarthy and Caroline Richardson on a rotating basis. Peers became the main anchor of the opt-outs in 2001 and studio production of the bulletins was transferred to a new television studio in Oxford in 2004.
On 21 April 2008, the South Today Oxford opt-out service was renamed as BBC Oxford News (although this is referred to on-screen as BBC Oxford). New titles and graphics were introduced as part of a on-screen overhaul across the BBC's national, international and regional news services.
in Southampton for the second half of South Today. However, on Friday, a full 30-minute programme is produced for the sub-region. BBC Oxford News (previously known as South Today Oxford) serves viewers in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire
and Swindon
as well as parts of Berkshire
, Northamptonshire
and the Cotswolds
.
Viewers in these areas also receive dedicated bulletins at 3:00pm, 8:00pm and after the BBC News at Ten, but see pan-regional bulletins from Southampton at breakfast and lunchtime and on weekends.
BBC Oxford News
BBC Oxford News
BBC Oxford News
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's regional television news programme for East Dorset
East Dorset
East Dorset is a local government district in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Furzehill, near Wimborne Minster.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Wimborne Minster Urban District with part of the Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District and the Wimborne and Cranborne...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
and the western fringes of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Since 2000, an opt-out of the main programme (now called BBC Oxford News) has also covered Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, the Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
area of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and parts of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
Overview
The BBC began broadcasting a regional TV news programme for the South of England (then known as South at Six) in January 1961, getting on air four months before the launch of Southern TelevisionSouthern Television
Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...
's rival magazine programme Day by Day. For many years, the BBC's Southampton operations were based in South Western House, the former Cunard shipping line headquarters near the city's docks.
Taking over from the original South at Six programme in the 1970s, South Today produces eleven bulletins each weekday: 6 bulletins in the morning during BBC Breakfast, a short bulletin at 15:00, a 15-minute programme at 13:30, the half-hour main programme at 18:30, a headlines update at 20:00 and a 7-minute late night bulletin at 22:25. An additional four bulletins air during the weekend: a lunchtime bulletin on Saturday, early evening bulletins on Saturday & Sunday and a late night bulletin on Sundays, following the BBC News at Ten. The times of these bulletins usually vary.
The programme is broadcast live from studios in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. It can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
channel 984/985 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite
BBC UK regional TV on satellite
The BBC broadcasts all of the BBC One and BBC Two regional variations on digital satellite television from the SES Astra satellites at 28.2° east; providing local news programmes and other regional programming with local continuity and presentation for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
service.
Prior to September 2001, South Today's region included areas served by the Heathfield Transmitter
Heathfield Transmitter
The Heathfield transmitting station is a facility for FM and television transmission at Heathfield, East Sussex, UK . Opened in 1969 it uses as its antenna mast a 135 metre tall guyed structure, giving average transmitter height 256 metres above sea level...
and its relays which extended coverage as far East as Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
and North to parts of Tunbridge Wells including the key towns of Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, Uckfield
Uckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
, Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
& Rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
. These areas are now covered by the BBC's South East Today
South East Today
BBC South East Today is the BBC South East regional television news programme, serving Kent, East Sussex and the eastern fringes of Surrey. Prior to its launch on 3 September 2001, most of the viewers in the region received Newsroom South East, though some had been receiving South Today.South East...
.
BBC Oxford News
Since 16 October 2000, BBC South has produced a distinct news service for the area served by the Oxford transmitterOxford transmitting station
The Oxford transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated on land above Ordnance Datum to the north east of the city of Oxford, in Oxfordshire, England . It has a guyed steel lattice mast which is in height to the top of the main steel structure...
. Previously, the area was covered by Newsroom South East
Newsroom South East
Newsroom South East was the name of the BBC's regional news programme for southeastern England. It was launched in March 1989 as the successor to London Plus, the South East's previous news programme...
, which also served Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
and the South East. As part of a three-tier restructure of regional coverage, the Oxfordshire area was transferred to the BBC South
BBC South
BBC South is the BBC English Region serving West Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, western Berkshire, Oxfordshire, south east Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.-Television:...
region and began dedicated opt-out bulletins within South Today. A year later, London and the South East split into two distinct regions: BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
and BBC South East
BBC South East
BBC South East is the BBC English Region serving East Sussex, Kent, and parts of Surrey and West Sussex.The BBC region was created in September 2001 by the joining of the Heathfield transmitter , with the Bluebell Hill and Dover transmitters to form a new regional TV service...
.
BBC Oxford News is presented by Geraldine Peers
Geraldine Peers
Geraldine Peers is the main presenter of BBC Oxford News, BBC South's local TV opt-out service for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Swindon and areas of Berkshire, Northamptonshire & the Cotswolds....
on weekdays. Originally, South Today Oxford was broadcast from BBC South
BBC South
BBC South is the BBC English Region serving West Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, western Berkshire, Oxfordshire, south east Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.-Television:...
's studios in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and presented by Heather McCarthy and Caroline Richardson on a rotating basis. Peers became the main anchor of the opt-outs in 2001 and studio production of the bulletins was transferred to a new television studio in Oxford in 2004.
On 21 April 2008, the South Today Oxford opt-out service was renamed as BBC Oxford News (although this is referred to on-screen as BBC Oxford). New titles and graphics were introduced as part of a on-screen overhaul across the BBC's national, international and regional news services.
Weekday bulletins
From Monday to Thursday, the programme covers the first fifteen minutes of the main regional news programme at 6:30pm, before rejoining Sally TaylorSally Taylor (TV presenter)
Sally Taylor MBE is an English journalist and presenter, best known for anchoring BBC South Today.She attended The Abbey School, an independent school, in Reading....
in Southampton for the second half of South Today. However, on Friday, a full 30-minute programme is produced for the sub-region. BBC Oxford News (previously known as South Today Oxford) serves viewers in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
as well as parts of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
.
Viewers in these areas also receive dedicated bulletins at 3:00pm, 8:00pm and after the BBC News at Ten, but see pan-regional bulletins from Southampton at breakfast and lunchtime and on weekends.
The team
Currently, the South Today and BBC Oxford News on-air team consists of the following:Main presenters
South Today- Sally TaylorSally Taylor (TV presenter)Sally Taylor MBE is an English journalist and presenter, best known for anchoring BBC South Today.She attended The Abbey School, an independent school, in Reading....
MBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- South Today Main Presenter Mon-Fri (6:30pm) - Laura Trant - South Today Presenter Mon-Fri (8pm & 10:25pm)
- Dani SinhaDani SinhaDani Sinha is a journalist and presenter, best known as a presenter of BBC South Today. Sinha studied French and Latin at Bristol University before taking a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism at City University London....
- South Today Presenter Sat (All Bulletins) - Allen Sinclair - South Today Presenter Sun (All Bulletins)
- Catharina Moh - South Today Main Presenter Mon-Fri (Breakfast & 1:25pm)
- Tom Hepworth - Breakfast and Daytime
BBC Oxford News
- Geraldine PeersGeraldine PeersGeraldine Peers is the main presenter of BBC Oxford News, BBC South's local TV opt-out service for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Swindon and areas of Berkshire, Northamptonshire & the Cotswolds....
- Oxford News Main Presenter Mon-Fri (All Bulletins)
Sports presenters
South Today- Tony Husband
- Kris Temple
BBC Oxford News
- Jerome Sale
- Emma Vardy
Weather presenters
- Sarah Farmer (Weekend & Cover Presenter)
- Alexis Green (Mon-Fri Afternoon & Evenings)
- Reham Khan (Mon-Fri Breakfast & Daytime)
Other presenters
BBC South Today- Roger FinnRoger FinnRoger Finn is a British television presenter. Finn was born Roger Armstrong-Wright but is believed to have taken the Stage name Finn from his favourite book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. He spent much of his upbringing in Hong Kong, but boarded in England at The King's School...
(Weekend Cover and also reporter) - Caroline Richardson (Weekday Cover and also reporter)
- Jo Kent (Breakfast & 10:35 Cover)
BBC Oxford News
- Sejal Karia
- Claire Price
District Correspondents
- Sean Killick (Brighton and West Sussex)
- Joe Campbell (Berkshire)
- Ben Moore (Dorset)
- Danielle Glavin (Isle of Wight & New Forest)
- Tom Hepworth (North Hampshire - Basingstoke, Aldershot & Andover)
- Steve Humphrey (South Hampshire - Southampton, Portsmouth & Winchester)
Specialist reporters
- Peter HenleyPeter Henley (presenter)Peter Henley is BBC South's political editor, and has been reporting in the south of England for over twenty years.-Career:Beginning his media career at BBC Radio Leicester while still at university, Peter went on to Pennine Radio, where he was a reporter and newsreader for the Bradford station...
(Political Editor) - David Fenton (Health Correspondent)
- Paul Clifton (Transport Correspondent)
General reporters
- David Allard (also programme producer)
- Rachel Barker
- Paul Bartrop
- Sarah Burbedge
- Chris Coneybeer
- Alistair Fee
- Laura Lyon
- Nicky Mitchell
- Roisin Gauson
- Emma Vardy
- Steve Nibbs
- Briony Leyland
- Michelle Pascal
- Freddie Rostand
- Charlotte Stacey
- Jeremy Stern
- Claire Price
Former presenters
- Jane HillJane HillJane Hill is a British newsreader working for the BBC.She is one of the main presenters on the BBC News Channel, the corporation's 24-hour rolling news service, and is a relief anchor for the BBC News at One, as well as regularly presenting the BBC Weekend News...
(Now with BBC News Channel) - Harry GrationHarry GrationHarry Gration is a television presenter based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He is one of the main presenters for the BBC Yorkshire regional magazine programme Look North.-Early life:...
- Mark LonghurstMark LonghurstMark Longhurst is a UK television newsreader and journalist. He currently works for Sky News, presenting the channel's Sunrise programme from Friday to Sunday....
- Jenni MurrayJenni MurrayDame Jennifer Susan "Jenni" Murray, DBE is a British journalist and broadcaster. She attended Barnsley Girls High School and has a degree in French and Drama from Hull University...
- Bruce ParkerBruce ParkerBruce Parker is a British journalist and television presenter whose career spanned the middle 1960s to 2003, when he retired. Strongly committed to regional broadcasting, he was responsible in the mid-1960s for a pilot local radio station in the Channel Islands, which eventually led to the setting...
- Alex LovellAlex LovellAlexandra "Alex" Lovell is an English television presenter.-History:Lovell was born in Gravesend, Kent, grew up in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and attended Rose Bruford College drama school in London....
- Andrew HarveyAndrew Harvey (journalist)Andrew Harvey is a British journalist who over a period of thirty years has presented most of main television news programmes of the BBC and ITN on British television.-BBC career:...
- Pauline Brandt (Now an independent Theatre Audio Describer)
- Richard DraxRichard DraxRichard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax , known as Richard Drax, is a former Army officer and journalist, now Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for South Dorset....
- Alina JenkinsAlina JenkinsAlina Jenkins is a radio presenter on BBC Radio Solent, and was formerly a weather presenter on BBC South Today....
(former weather forecaster) - Dorcas Henry (former weather forecaster)
- Georgie Palmer
- Babita SharmaBabita SharmaBabita Sharma is a British television newsreader, currently fronting the overnight bulletins on the BBC News and BBC World News, presenting the Newsday strand each Monday-Wednesday from London with Rico Hizon in Singapore....
(now with BBC World News) - Sara ThorntonSara Thornton (weather forecaster)Sara Thornton is an English broadcast journalist and weather presenter.Born in Yorkshire, she was raised in the United States, returning to England to study for her A Levels. After a university education, she studied for a post-graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism, and then joined the BBC as a...
- Roger JohnsonRoger Johnson (TV presenter)Roger Johnson is an English journalist and presenter, currently working as the main presenter for the BBC regional news programme North West Tonight.Johnson was previously a sports presenter on BBC South's news programme South Today...
(Sports presenter. Now at BBC North West TonightBBC North West TonightBBC North West Tonight is a nightly regional news programme covering the North West of England. Produced by BBC North West, the programme airs at 6.30pm and at 10:25pm every weekday evening and is broadcast from the BBC's MediaCityUK studios at Salford Quays.-BBC North West region:The BBC North...
)