Editing BBC Midlands Today

{{Short description|British TV news programme (since 1964)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2011}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Midlands Today titles.jpg
| caption              = Title card used since April 2022
| director             =
| theme_music_composer = [[David Lowe (television and radio composer)|David Lowe]]
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United Kingdom
| language             = English
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = [[BBC News]]<br>[[BBC West Midlands]]
| editor               = 
| location             = [[The Mailbox]], [[Birmingham]]
| camera               = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 30 minutes <small>(main 6:30pm programme)</small><br>10 minutes <small>(1:30pm and 10:30pm programmes)</small><br>Various <small>(on weekends and [[BBC Breakfast|Breakfast]])</small>
| channel              = [[BBC One]] [[BBC West Midlands|West Midlands]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1964|9|28|df=y}}
| last_aired           = present
| related              = {{plainlist|
* [[BBC News]]
* ''[[East Midlands Today]]''
* ''[[ITV News Central]]''
* ''[[The Midland (news programme)|The Midland]]''
  }} 
}}

'''''BBC Midlands Today''''' is the [[BBC]]'s regional [[television]] [[news]] service for the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]]. It was launched in 1964 and is presented by  [[Mary Rhodes]], [[Nick Owen]], Elizabeth Glinka, Rebecca Wood and [[Shefali Oza]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=BBC One - Midlands Today - Presenters|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/pXHgtlbkvxfNCNCFnrQYsC/presenters|access-date=1 June 2021|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Overview==
''Midlands Today'' is produced by [[BBC West Midlands|BBC Midlands]] and broadcasts on [[BBC One]] seven days a week. The programme is produced and broadcast from the BBC studios in [[The Mailbox]], [[Birmingham]]. Journalists are also based at newsrooms in [[Coventry]], [[Shrewsbury]], [[Stoke-on-Trent]],  [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] and [[Gloucester]].

The programme began on 28 September 1964, broadcasting from a small room in the Birmingham [[Register Office]] before moving to the custom-built [[Pebble Mill Studios|Pebble Mill]] broadcasting centre in [[Edgbaston]] on 10 November 1971. It remained there until the studios closed on 22 October 2004 when the BBC Birmingham operations were switched to the current studios at The Mailbox.

Until 1991, the programme also served the East Midlands, which has since received its own BBC regional TV news programme, ''[[East Midlands Today]]''. The programme's editorial area consists of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], [[Warwickshire]], [[Staffordshire]], [[Shropshire]], [[Herefordshire]], [[Worcestershire]] and northern [[Gloucestershire]] (even though Gloucestershire is not formally within the Midlands, being in the [[South West England]] region – it is also covered by [[BBC Points West]]).

''Midlands Today'' is broadcast from the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield]] transmitter in the West Midlands and can be watched in any part of the UK on [[Sky (United Kingdom)|Sky]], [[Freesat]] and in the rest of Europe via [[Astra 2E]] at 28.2° East (10788V 22000 5/6). The latest edition is also available to view again on the ''Midlands Today'' website and on [[BBC iPlayer]].

[[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] viewers in northern [[Staffordshire]] around [[Kidsgrove]] and [[Biddulph]] cannot receive signal from the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield]] transmitter; instead, they receive better signal from the [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]] transmitter that broadcasts ''[[BBC North West Tonight|North West Tonight]]'' from [[Salford]]. However, those areas can still watch ''Midlands Today'' on Channel 101, which broadcasts the [[BBC One]] West Midlands variant on [[Sky (United Kingdom)|Sky]] and [[Freesat]] by default.

Even though viewers in northern [[Oxfordshire]] around [[Banbury]] are served by ''[[BBC South Today|South Today]]'', the town can also receive ''Midlands Today'' from a local relay transmitter that is transmitted from the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield]] transmitter. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bretch_Hill|title=Freeview Light on the Bretch Hill (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate= 15 August 2024}}</ref>

Viewers in [[North West Leicestershire]] and [[Swadlincote]] in [[Derbyshire]] receive ''Midlands Today'' on [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] as local news meaning those areas receive better signals from the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield]] transmitter rather than [[Waltham transmitting station|Waltham]] transmitter.

Eastern parts of the [[Powys]] area in [[Wales]], such as [[Presteigne]], cannot receive signals from the [[Carmel transmitting station|Carmel]] transmitter; instead, they get better signals from the [[Ridge Hill transmitting station|Ridge Hill]] transmitter, which broadcasts ''Midlands Today''.

On 6 February 2023, a new studio upgrade was revealed resembling that of Studio B at Broadcasting House launched in June 2022 to include a whole new studio presentation, enhanced graphics and additional presentation locations within the studio. The upgrade brings the studio up to full HD capabilities for the first time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newscaststudio.com/2023/02/10/bbc-midlands-east-midlands-new-sets/ | title=BBC's 'Midlands' and 'East Midlands' get set upgrades to match Studio B | date=10 February 2023 }}</ref>

==On air==
On weekdays, 6 breakfast bulletins air as part of ''[[BBC Breakfast]]'' around every 30 minutes, between 6:26am and 9:06am.A fifteen-minute lunchtime bulletin airs at 1:30pm, following the ''[[BBC News at One]]''. The main edition of ''Midlands Today'' is broadcast every weeknight between 6.30pm and 7.00pm.The late night bulletin airs at 10.30pm on weeknights, following the ''[[BBC News at Ten]]''.

''Midlands Today'' also airs short early evening bulletins on Saturday and Sunday evenings, although times usually vary. A late night bulletin is also broadcast on Sundays, following the ''[[BBC News at Ten]]''.

==Presenters==

===News anchors===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Person !! Duties 
|-
| [[Mary Rhodes]] || rowspan="2" | Mondays – Fridays main evening programme, alternating
|-
| [[Nick Owen]]   
|-
| [[Michael Collie]] || Cover and Bank holidays
|-
| [[Joanne Malin]] || Mondays ''[[BBC Breakfast]]'' / lunchtime, some late cover
|-
| [[Shefali Oza]] || Sundays
|-
|}

===Weather presenters===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Person !! Other Notes
|-
| [[Shefali Oza]] ||

Main weather presenter
|-
| [[John Hammond (weather forecaster)|John Hammond]] || Relief Weather Presenter
|}

==Past presenters==
Former presenters have included [[Tom Coyne (broadcaster)|Tom Coyne]],  [[Kay Alexander]], [[Alan Towers]], [[Alastair Yates]], [[David Davies (football administrator)|David Davies]], [[Richard Uridge]], [[Sue Beardsmore]], [[Nina Nannar]], [[Stuart Linnell]], [[Matt Smith (broadcaster)|Matt Smith]], [[Julian Worricker]], [[Ashley Blake]], [[Suzanne Virdee]], [[Steve Clamp]] and [[Jackie Kabler]]. Olympic Gold medalist [[Denise Lewis]] also guest presented sport briefly during 2005, as did [[Rob Curling]] in 2002.

Senior presenter Alan Towers' on-air departure in July 1997 (after 25 years) brought about one of the most controversial moments in the programme's history when he shared indignant views on BBC management, describing them as "pygmies in grey suits wearing blindfolds".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/bbc-man-explains-why-he-spoke-out-1252955.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/bbc-man-explains-why-he-spoke-out-1252955.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=BBC man explains why he spoke out|work=[[The Independent]]|location=London|date=28 July 1997|access-date=19 October 2020}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Portal|BBC}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{BBC programme}}

{{BBC Local TV}}

[[Category:BBC Birmingham productions]]
[[Category:BBC Regional News shows]]
[[Category:1964 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1960s British television series]]
[[Category:1970s British television series]]
[[Category:1980s British television series]]
[[Category:1990s British television series]]
[[Category:2000s British television series]]
[[Category:2010s British television series]]
[[Category:2020s British television series]]
[[Category:Television news in England]]