BBC Wales Today

BBC Wales Today is the BBC's national television news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. According to the BBC, it is the world's longest-running television news programme.[1]

BBC Wales Today
Title card used since April 2022
Theme music composerDavid Lowe
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersBBC News
BBC Cymru Wales
Production locationsBBC Cymru Wales New Broadcasting House, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes (main 6:30pm programme)
10 minutes (1:30pm and 10:30pm programmes)
Various (on weekends and Breakfast)
Release
Original networkBBC One Wales
Original release17 September 1962 (1962-09-17) –
present
Related

The programme can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite channel 972 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite service. Selected video packages from the programme are available on the BBC news website.

History

The programme began at 6:10 pm on Monday 17 September 1962. Its predecessor, a short News from Wales bulletin, started in 1957 and was originally presented by Michael Aspel. The new programme, originally presented by Brian Hoey, shared a 25-minute timeslot for regional news with Points West from Bristol – at the time, both programmes were broadcast to Wales and the West of England from the Wenvoe transmitter near Cardiff.

By February 1964, two new television regions, BBC Wales and BBC West, had been created with the addition of a new channel (13) for Wales on Wenvoe. BBC Wales Today thus became a 25-minute programme broadcast only to Wales while Points West was only broadcast to the West of England. In 1969, the opening of separate UHF transmitters at Wenvoe (Wales) and Mendip (West) led to complete separation, except for overlap areas in South Wales.

Between September 1984 and September 1988, the programme aired at 5:35 pm – one hour earlier than most of its counterpart BBC news programmes elsewhere in the UK – before moving to the 6:30 pm timeslot in September 1988.[2] BBC Wales Today shared the same studio facilities (studio C2 at Broadcasting House in Cardiff) as S4C's Newyddion programme.

On 28 September 2020, BBC Wales Today joined BBC Cymru Wales' presentation and radio teams at new headquarters in Central Square, in Cardiff's city centre.[3] The first bulletin from the building was coverage of the Welsh Government daily COVID-19 pandemic briefing.

On air

On weekdays, BBC Wales Today broadcasts six three-minute bulletins at 27 and 57 minutes past each hour during BBC Breakfast. A 15-minute lunchtime programme airs at 1:30 pm with a short preview at 5:15 pm. The main half-hour edition of the programme airs between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm. The late night bulletin airs at 10:30 pm following the BBC News at Ten.

Three bulletins air during the weekend: early evening bulletins on Saturday & Sunday and a late night bulletin on Sundays, following the BBC News at Ten.

From November 2001, a fifteen-minute news bulletin was broadcast on the digital opt-out service BBC 2W, first as 2W News and Sport and later, Wales Today on 2W. The bulletin was axed in 2007.

In 2020 a separate 30-minute broadcast was added to the schedule during the 2019 Coronavirus outbreak, reporting on live Welsh Government press conferences.[4]

Notable on-air team
Presenters
Person Position
Nick Servini Main Presenters[5]
Jennifer Jones
Lucy Owen

Weather presenters
Weather Team
Person Position
Derek Brockway Main weather presenter
Sue Charles Weather presenter
Sabrina Lee Weather presenter
Rhian Haf Weather presenter

(Morning bulletins)

Former presenters

References
  1. "Wales Today and 50 years of regional news programmes" (PDF). p. 6. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. "TVARK | BBC Wales | News". Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  3. "TV news last and firsts for BBC in Cardiff". BBC News. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  4. "BBC One Wales to broadcast Welsh Government's daily news conference". BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. "New presenting team for BBC Wales Today news programme". BBC News Wales. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
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