BBC North East and Cumbria
Encyclopedia
BBC North East and Cumbria is the BBC English Region
covering Northumberland
, Tyne and Wear
, County Durham
, North Yorkshire
, Teesside
and all but the southern part of Cumbria
. It is sometimes styled on-screen as BBC NE & Cumbria.
, consists of the flagship regional news service Look North
, the topical magazine programme Inside Out
, a twenty minute opt-out of the weekly Politics Show and the football magazine show Late Kick Off
, co-produced with independent production company Bite Yer Legs Ltd. BBC Yorkshire
's rugby league highlights programme The Super League Show
is also simulcast for North East and Cumbrian viewers.
stations BBC Tees, BBC Radio Cumbria
and BBC Radio Newcastle
. The three stations simulcast some programmes, as well as the overnight programmes offered by BBC Radio 5 Live
.
, BBC Red Button and BBC Local News websites for each county.
based BBC North
. The original regional news programme was called Home at Six and ran from 1962 until 1964, when the name Look North was chosen to coincide with the change of presenter to Mike Neville
. The region has received overlap with some areas served by BBC Yorkshire
for many years, and this has resulted in the boundaries between the two services becoming unclear.
In 1986, transmissions from the Caldbeck transmitter
, to the majority of Cumbria
, was transferred from BBC North East to BBC North West
, as it was believed the area would be served better from Manchester
. However, following complaints from local regions, the transmitter was transferred back to BBC North East in 1990.
In 1990, BBC North
, BBC North West
and BBC North East were merged to form one large region, named BBC North. As a result, all managerial and administrative posts from the three regions were merged to form one, allowing cost savings to the corporation. As part of this, each region's programming remained the same; however the region identified itself on-screen as BBC North with all its programmes being BBC North productions. This remained until 1996, when the regions were separated.
The region was renamed BBC North East & Cumbria in 1997, coinciding with the adoption of the new BBC logo and the new BBC One ident package. The on-screen name was adapted slightly to BBC NE & Cumbria in 2002, following the adoption of the Dancer idents for BBC One
, as the regional name needed to fit inside the box logo.
, Newcastle upon Tyne
. The first live broadcast from the building was on Saturday 16 January 1988, with the first Look North broadcast the following Monday. The building itself housed two studios, A and B, with the studio complex housing the regional news team, BBC Radio Newcastle
and some network productions, with BBC North East specialising in children's television. Look North was based in the large studio A, but moved to the smaller studio B when a network production was using studio A. Look North was permanently moved to studio A in 2000 following the reduction in the number of network productions. This move prevented the studio itself from being closed, as happened in the Midlands and the North West
; fortunately the studio was not too big, so could house the programme comfortably. The building itself has distinctive architecture, with glass panels and walls coloured in varying shades of pink, resulting in the building gaining the nickname from local residents and staff of "The Pink Palace".
Following the launch of the service, and prior to the move to Broadcasting Centre, the BBC was based at Broadcasting House in Central Newcastle, in a former Lying-in Hospital, which housed the news service, a single studio for Look North and BBC Radio Newcastle. This building, in a central location in the city on New Bridge Street, proved just big enough for their needs. However, when technology needed upgrading, it turned out to be easier to build a new studio complex, rather than refit the small building. It was last used on Friday 15 January 1988.
BBC English Regions
BBC English Regions is the division of the BBC responsible for local television, radio, web and teletext services in England. It is one of the BBC's four 'Nations' - the others being BBC Scotland, BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ireland....
covering Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
and all but the southern part of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. It is sometimes styled on-screen as BBC NE & Cumbria.
Television
BBC North East & Cumbrias television output, broadcast on BBC OneBBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, consists of the flagship regional news service Look North
BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria)
BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for the BBC North East and Cumbria region. The programmes are produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne with journalists also based at newsrooms in Middlesbrough, Durham, York and...
, the topical magazine programme Inside Out
Inside Out (BBC TV series)
Inside Out is the brand name for a number of regional television programmes in England broadcast on BBC One. Each series, made by a BBC region, focuses on stories from the local area...
, a twenty minute opt-out of the weekly Politics Show and the football magazine show Late Kick Off
Late Kick Off
Late Kick Off was a BBC One regional television football programme which was launched on 18 January 2010 and ran up to and including the 2010-2011 football season...
, co-produced with independent production company Bite Yer Legs Ltd. BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire is one of the English regions of the BBC. It was formed from the division of the former BBC North region into BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, based in Hull.-Television:...
's rugby league highlights programme The Super League Show
Super League Show
The Super League Show is the BBC's rugby league highlights programme, usually shown on a Sunday afternoon on BBC One in the North of England and on the BBC website. It is fronted by Look North newsreader Harry Gration and Tanya Arnold with a variety of studio guests from Super League...
is also simulcast for North East and Cumbrian viewers.
Radio
The region is the controlling centre for the local radioBBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for...
stations BBC Tees, BBC Radio Cumbria
BBC Radio Cumbria
BBC Radio Cumbria is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Cumbria and broadcasts from studios in Carlisle.- History :The county of Cumbria, from which the station takes its current name, was not created until 1974...
and BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Newcastle is the BBC Local Radio service English metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, broadcasting from studios on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne.- Technical :...
. The three stations simulcast some programmes, as well as the overnight programmes offered by BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
.
Online and Interactive
BBC North East & Cumbria also produces regional news and local radio pages for CeefaxCeefax
Ceefax is the BBC's teletext information service transmitted via the analogue signal, started in 1974 and will run until April 2012 for Pages from Ceefax, while the actual interactive service will run until 24 October 2012, in-line with the digital switchover.-History:During the late 60s, engineer...
, BBC Red Button and BBC Local News websites for each county.
History
BBC North East & Cumbria began life as BBC North East in 1962, following the separation of the region from the ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
based BBC North
BBC North
BBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
. The original regional news programme was called Home at Six and ran from 1962 until 1964, when the name Look North was chosen to coincide with the change of presenter to Mike Neville
Mike Neville (Newsreader)
Mike Neville, MBE is a retired British television presenter who worked mainly on regional news programmes in North East England. Over 40 years with the BBC and ITV franchisee Tyne Tees Television, he became an iconic figure in the region and is remembered for his solid presentational style and...
. The region has received overlap with some areas served by BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire
BBC Yorkshire is one of the English regions of the BBC. It was formed from the division of the former BBC North region into BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, based in Hull.-Television:...
for many years, and this has resulted in the boundaries between the two services becoming unclear.
In 1986, transmissions from the Caldbeck transmitter
Caldbeck transmitting station
The Caldbeck transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated close to the village of Caldbeck, in Cumbria, England . It is owned and operated by Arqiva....
, to the majority of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, was transferred from BBC North East to BBC North West
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
, as it was believed the area would be served better from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. However, following complaints from local regions, the transmitter was transferred back to BBC North East in 1990.
In 1990, BBC North
BBC North
BBC North is a brand used by the BBC to mean any of the following.*The large BBC North region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968....
, BBC North West
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
and BBC North East were merged to form one large region, named BBC North. As a result, all managerial and administrative posts from the three regions were merged to form one, allowing cost savings to the corporation. As part of this, each region's programming remained the same; however the region identified itself on-screen as BBC North with all its programmes being BBC North productions. This remained until 1996, when the regions were separated.
The region was renamed BBC North East & Cumbria in 1997, coinciding with the adoption of the new BBC logo and the new BBC One ident package. The on-screen name was adapted slightly to BBC NE & Cumbria in 2002, following the adoption of the Dancer idents for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, as the regional name needed to fit inside the box logo.
Studios
BBC North East & Cumbria has its headquarters and studios at Broadcasting Centre, Spital TonguesSpital Tongues
Spital Tongues is a historic area of Newcastle upon Tyne, located north west of the city centre.Its unusual name is believed to be derived from 'spital' – a corruption of the word 'hospital' that is quite commonly found in UK place names - and 'tongues', meaning outlying pieces of land...
, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. The first live broadcast from the building was on Saturday 16 January 1988, with the first Look North broadcast the following Monday. The building itself housed two studios, A and B, with the studio complex housing the regional news team, BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Newcastle is the BBC Local Radio service English metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, broadcasting from studios on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne.- Technical :...
and some network productions, with BBC North East specialising in children's television. Look North was based in the large studio A, but moved to the smaller studio B when a network production was using studio A. Look North was permanently moved to studio A in 2000 following the reduction in the number of network productions. This move prevented the studio itself from being closed, as happened in the Midlands and the North West
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
; fortunately the studio was not too big, so could house the programme comfortably. The building itself has distinctive architecture, with glass panels and walls coloured in varying shades of pink, resulting in the building gaining the nickname from local residents and staff of "The Pink Palace".
Following the launch of the service, and prior to the move to Broadcasting Centre, the BBC was based at Broadcasting House in Central Newcastle, in a former Lying-in Hospital, which housed the news service, a single studio for Look North and BBC Radio Newcastle. This building, in a central location in the city on New Bridge Street, proved just big enough for their needs. However, when technology needed upgrading, it turned out to be easier to build a new studio complex, rather than refit the small building. It was last used on Friday 15 January 1988.