Report: BBC to end contract with Met Office for provision of weather forecasts
mlt11
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Per Sunday Times:
"THE BBC has ended a partnership with the Met Office dating back more than 90 years by deciding not to renew its contract to provide weather forecasts.
The last bulletin presented by the Met Office will be broadcast in October 2016, 94 years after the first, in November 1922..................
The BBC will announce a replacement before the end of the year. It declined to discuss why it had decided to break with the Met Office. “Our viewers get the highest standard of weather service and that won’t change,” the corporation said..............
The BBC expects most of the 19-strong national presenting team, including Alex Deakin and John Hammond, to stay on air by transferring from Met Office employment to the new provider................"
(No link - paywall)
"THE BBC has ended a partnership with the Met Office dating back more than 90 years by deciding not to renew its contract to provide weather forecasts.
The last bulletin presented by the Met Office will be broadcast in October 2016, 94 years after the first, in November 1922..................
The BBC will announce a replacement before the end of the year. It declined to discuss why it had decided to break with the Met Office. “Our viewers get the highest standard of weather service and that won’t change,” the corporation said..............
The BBC expects most of the 19-strong national presenting team, including Alex Deakin and John Hammond, to stay on air by transferring from Met Office employment to the new provider................"
(No link - paywall)
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I wonder who will be providing the replacement service.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06418l5
Met Office fury as BBC 'gives contract worth millions to foreigners': Broadcaster announces plant to scrap its 93-year relationship with the weather forecaster
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3207392/Met-Office-fury-BBC-gives-contract-worth-millions-foreigners.html#ixzz3jcMcFRhG
Meanwhile, going back five years to the last tender process:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/news/a197219/bbc-considers-dropping-met-office.html#~pmaeYuzrOC1Ljn
Funny that - Metra are also in the running this time, and they do have a British subsidiary (unsurprisingly). So it's a bit of a non-story, especially when, in 2010, the same newspaper reported this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1243994/BBC-dump-Met-office-complaints-BBQ-summer-mild-winter-forecats.html
Yes, the Mail was reporting the same story about Metra, including its UK subsidiary!
A New Zealand firm?
Bring back Dan Corbett.
https://twitter.com/The_No_Show/status/635341463732273152
An ideal opportunity! Sadly for us, he's now working for the ONE News Weather team y TVNZ
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/daniel-corbett-joins-the-one-news-weather-team-6069386.html
The Fail can't have it both ways. One minute they criticise the BBC for wasting money, when they do try and find some savings they complain about breaking with 90 years tradition and giving contracts to foreigners.
And it's not as if the UK forecasters so beloved by certain tabloids are believable, with their incorrect stories of "Coldest winter in 100 years", "Heatwave to last 3 months, hottest summer ever", and this year's "Tornado on the way".
For example:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/520672/Winter-weather-2014-UK-forecast-cold-snow-November
http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/534304/Winter-weather-forecast-UK-heavy-snow-months-polar-vortex
The Met Office are a laughing stock, the quicker they close down the better.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34031785
Case in point here today:
Met office - heavy rain from midday.
BBC - dry until early evening.
?
(Although they will be able to shoehorn more weather people on to Strictly.)
Funny article from The Guardian about the 'forecasters' used by the Express/Mail, who don't actually exist: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2012/jan/26/weather-forecasters-daily-mail
And a more recent one from this year:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2015/apr/09/daily-express-weather-warning-beware-a-shower-of-extreme-inaccuracy
Their man just said on BH that it will have very little impact on their income.
Usually the tabloids completely misinterpret what the Met Office has said.
I just looked at the forecast for here on Met Office and BBC website, they are identical. I always find that if you look at a detailed forecast for a specific area then they are very good. The problem usually is that someone listens to a on minute summary on the radio and expects it to be accurate for the whole UK, then moans when it obviously is not.
Odd, as earlier reports indicated that the BBC's contract was a sizeable part of their income.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met_Office
So maybe the BBC's attitude is, 'You told us to save money, so we have'
I don't think this will be like the old days when ITV companies lost their contracts, and all the on screen faces changed overnight. That used to happen so viewers got the message a new company was in charge, but that isn't really necessary for the weather.
Although a ridge of high pressure saw Nina depart last week.