The BBC is to move its flagship 9pm news programme to 10pm from 16 October, it was confirmed today. Governors at the Corporation decided to continue with the move, despite ITV’s recent decision to restore its 10pm bulletin from January 2001 (see News At Ten To Return To ITV).
Speaking at a press conference this morning Sir Christopher Bland, chairman of the BBC, said that the later evening slot gave the channel more opportunity to cover US politics and markets. It was agreed that the half-measures brought in by ITV under pressure from the ITC were not sufficient to change the Corporation’s plans.
The decision to move its 9 o’clock news broadcast to the recently-vacated 10pm slot was announced by the director-general Greg Dyke at the Edinburgh Television Festival in August (see Greg Dyke Lays Out Future Of The BBC). When ITV gave in to pressure from the ITC to restore News At Ten on the network at least three nights a week, culture secretary Chris Smith urged the BBC to rethink its plans.
BBC governors were today unanimous, however, in their decision to move the bulletin. It was also confirmed that Panorama will move to Sunday nights, immediately following the news bulletin.
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