Mumbai, Maharashtra, BBC World News is launching The Hub with Nik Gowing, a premier news programme aimed primarily at audiences in South Asia as part of a new look and schedule from 1 February. Using the expertise of presenter Nik Gowing, the programme will provide viewers with tailored coverage of the news that important to them.
The programme is part of a suite of changes to both weekday and weekend schedules, with the introduction of six tailored news broadcasts.
The Hub with Nik Gowing (Monday to Friday 2130 - 2300 IST) serves as a news nerve centre for South Asia, providing both the headlines, and detailed analysis of the global news agenda. Nik experience as the longest serving presenter on BBC World News, his trademark rigorous interview technique, and his unrivalled political and diplomatic contacts, will give local viewers a unique insight into the top stories of the day. The Hub will take audiences live to the scene of breaking news for the latest developments, and every edition will offer a summary of the key world stories for viewers in South Asia, and the Middle East.
World News Today with Zeinab Badawi, Business Edition with Tanya Beckett and Impact Asia with Mishal Husain and GMT with George Alagiah will also air on BBC World News from 1 February as part of the refreshed channel output. All the programmes can be watched by BBC World News worldwide network of 74m weekly viewers.
The programmes will be supported by new on-air graphic packages and will broadcast from BBC World News redesigned studio based in London. And in addition to the news programmes airing on TV, viewers can interact with the presenters via a dedicated facebook page, programme pages on bbc.com/news, on Twitter, via the BBC Global Minds community, and other social media platforms.
A new programme aimed at a global audience, to be fronted by Lyse Doucet, is also in development and will join the line-up in February. The aim of this programme will be to provide a weekly forum for untold stories. These could be the neglected, forgotten, human stories illustrating the issues behind the conflicts that other networks cannot cover; or it could be social, political and cultural changes from around the world. In addition, all the top news stories of the day will be summarised.
Changes to the weekend line-up
BBC World News new weekend schedule begins on Friday evenings (Asia evening peak) with a refreshed mixture of topical documentary, current affairs, lifestyle and travel programmes. Introducing the weekend line up from 5 February is Weekend World, a new weekly interactive show, presented by Paddy OConnell, reviewing the exciting range of weekend programmes ahead.
Highlights airing in the February weekend schedule include; This World: Gypsy Child Thieves (four part weekly series from 20 February), Alvin Hall Guide to Good Business (eight part weekly series from 6 February), Saudi Goes to Market (two part weekly series from 6 February) plus episodes of premier discussion forums The World Debate and Doha Debate. Flagship travel programme fast:track, technology show Click, and Talking Movies will also broadcast during the weekend.
For the first time, bite-size four minute editions of these flagship programmes will air during the week to keep viewers regularly entertained and updated on their favourite subjects. Over both the week and weekend schedule, the channel will also ensure the prevalence of news by broadcasting bulletins at the top of each hour.
Richard Porter, BBC World News Editorial Director, says: "The channel changes represent the next stage of our editorial development at BBC World News. We are reacting to our audiences have requested from us - they have expressed a real desire for news programmes relevant to their regions, bringing the strengths of our presenters to the fore. By realigning our weekday and weekend schedules, we can provide viewers with accessible and wide-ranging content that suits the way they want to watch us."
Notes to Editor
Full BBC World News schedules are available on:
http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/Schedules.aspx
The Hub with Nik Gowing replaces the channel 2130 IST edition of World News Today
BBC World News, the BBC commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World News Ltd, a member of the BBC commercial group of companies. BBC World News attracts 74 million viewers a week, is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches more than 299 million households and 1.7 million hotel rooms. The channel content is also available on 81 cruise ships, 46 airlines, 35 mobile phone networks and a number of major online platforms including bbc.com/news. For further information on how to receive BBC World News, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit bbcworldnews.com.
