PM has just started...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2009/1...weathe_1.shtml


Stay tuned. We want to know what YOU think about our brand new weather
forecast.

Why? A few weeks ago, an informal experiment among our listeners suggested
that our nightly weather forecast didn't work for many of them: they
couldn't remember the weather for their area.

So we asked our audience what would work for them, and had some fun trying
out several ideas on air...including using birdsong and regional accents!

Because of the interest expressed in all this by listeners to PM and iPM,
Radio 4 is using PM to test a brand new style of forecast. It's a sort of
pilot scheme and your opinion will help shape how the new forecast is rolled
out across the entire network.

Les Hemmings wrote:
PM has just started...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2009/1...weathe_1.shtml


Stay tuned. We want to know what YOU think about our brand new weather
forecast.


It starts just after 17:55 BST... I hope it's the one they tried in the
style of the shipping forecast. That was very clear...

On Oct 12, 5:18*pm, "Les Hemmings" wrote:
Les Hemmings wrote:
PM has just started...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2009/1...nd_new_weathe_...

Stay tuned. We want to know what YOU think about our brand new weather
forecast.

It starts just after 17:55 BST... I hope it's the one they tried in the
style of the shipping forecast. That was very clear...

I heard it - it was OK. What they need to do now is to
eliminate the practice of using towns to represent fairly large
areas. 20°C in Southampton? What about Andover, then, people will
ask. Why not just say Southern England, or central Southern England,
or Hampshire?
Even so, an improvement. I wonder if they read these threads.
If so, my apologies to Messrs Schafernaker and Tobyn. I'm sure
they're terribly nice people and kind to animals.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

On 12 Oct, 18:32, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On Oct 12, 5:18*pm, "Les Hemmings" wrote:

Les Hemmings wrote:
PM has just started...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2009/1...nd_new_weathe_....

Stay tuned. We want to know what YOU think about our brand new weather
forecast.

It starts just after 17:55 BST... I hope it's the one they tried in the
style of the shipping forecast. That was very clear...

* * * I heard it - it was OK. *What they need to do now is to
eliminate the practice of using towns to represent fairly large
areas. *20°C in Southampton? *What about *Andover, then, people will
ask. *Why not just say Southern England, or central Southern England,
or Hampshire?
* * * Even so, an improvement. *I wonder if they read these threads.
If so, my apologies to Messrs Schafernaker and Tobyn. *I'm sure
they're terribly nice people and kind to animals.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

Yes, this practice of using towns irritates me, I'm thoroughly p****d
off with being told, as the camera briefly swings across SW England,
that's it's going to be 16C in Plymouth. The temperature on the
opposing coasts of Devon/Cornwall is often so different they could, at
the very least, give some idea of the variance.

As it happens, it was 16C in Penzance today - same as Plymouth
apparently.

Graham
Penzance

"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
...


Yes, this practice of using towns irritates me, I'm thoroughly p****d
off with being told, as the camera briefly swings across SW England,
that's it's going to be 16C in Plymouth. The temperature on the
opposing coasts of Devon/Cornwall is often so different they could, at
the very least, give some idea of the variance.

Trouble is, when you are doing a *national* forecast there
probably isn't time to always mention what are in fact quite
local variances in temperatures between the north and
south coasts of Cornwall, significant though they might
well be.
What about the north & south coests of Pembrokeshire
or north Kent Vs south Kent or the north Norfolk coast
and Essex?
There is a limit to the 'resolution' you can practically go
to in such a forecast.
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

On 12 Oct, 19:43, "Col" wrote:
"Graham Easterling" wrote in message

...

Yes, this practice of using towns irritates me, I'm thoroughly p****d
off with being told, as the camera briefly swings across SW England,
that's it's going to be 16C in Plymouth. The temperature on the
opposing coasts of Devon/Cornwall is often so different they could, at
the very least, give some idea of the variance.

Trouble is, when you are doing a *national* forecast there
probably isn't time to always mention what are in fact quite
local variances in temperatures between the north and
south coasts of Cornwall, significant though they might
well be.
What about the north & south coasts of Pembrokeshire
or north Kent Vs south Kent or the north Norfolk coast
and Essex?
There is a limit to the 'resolution' you can practically go
to in such a forecast.
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

I think when differences are significant there's no great difficulty
in sticking say 14C over the north coast & 18C over the south. Doing
this and saying something like 'the highest temperatures being along
the south coast' is more informative than saying 'the finishing number
around 16C in Plymouth'. It's just a particularly useless thing to say
- unless you live in Plymouth.

I have known 8C difference between St Ives & Penzance (both ways -
depending on cloud/fog & wind direction) Minehead is in a different
world to Plymouth, with both Exmoor & Dartmoor in between.

And yes, I'm sure the same does apply elsewhere.

Graham
Penzance

On Oct 12, 7:43*pm, "Col" wrote:
"Graham Easterling" wrote in message

...

Yes, this practice of using towns irritates me, I'm thoroughly p****d
off with being told, as the camera briefly swings across SW England,
that's it's going to be 16C in Plymouth. The temperature on the
opposing coasts of Devon/Cornwall is often so different they could, at
the very least, give some idea of the variance.

Trouble is, when you are doing a *national* forecast there
probably isn't time to always mention what are in fact quite
local variances in temperatures between the north and
south coasts of Cornwall, significant though they might
well be.
What about the north & south coests of Pembrokeshire
or north Kent Vs south Kent or the north Norfolk coast
and Essex?
There is a limit to the 'resolution' you can practically go
to in such a forecast.
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

The BBC forecasters have so little time to give a comprehensive
forecast that it is no wonder that some areas are 'deprived'. NW
England barely gets a mention, unless you can work it out from'.east
of the Pennines'.

The awkward links between newsreader and forecaster doesn't make
it any better any better;.

'Is this wet weather going to continue, Tom Dick or Harriet?
(Raining in London). How long before a weather forecaster appears as a
'celebrity' on 'Strictly Come Dancing?' We should realise that TV
forecasts are for'entertainment', not for a hint of the forthcoming
weather. McElwee, Gibbs and one or two others O.K, the rest just BBC
clones.

On Oct 12, 9:01*pm, TomS wrote:
On Oct 12, 7:43*pm, "Col" wrote:





"Graham Easterling" wrote in message

....

Yes, this practice of using towns irritates me, I'm thoroughly p****d
off with being told, as the camera briefly swings across SW England,
that's it's going to be 16C in Plymouth. The temperature on the
opposing coasts of Devon/Cornwall is often so different they could, at
the very least, give some idea of the variance.

Trouble is, when you are doing a *national* forecast there
probably isn't time to always mention what are in fact quite
local variances in temperatures between the north and
south coasts of Cornwall, significant though they might
well be.
What about the north & south coests of Pembrokeshire
or north Kent Vs south Kent or the north Norfolk coast
and Essex?
There is a limit to the 'resolution' you can practically go
to in such a forecast.
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

* * *The BBC forecasters have so little time to give a comprehensive
forecast that it is no wonder that some areas are 'deprived'. *NW
England barely gets a mention, unless you can work it out from'.east
of the Pennines'.

* * *The awkward links between newsreader and forecaster doesn't make
it any better any better;.

* 'Is this wet weather going to continue, Tom Dick or Harriet?
(Raining in London). How long before a weather forecaster appears as a
'celebrity' on 'Strictly Come Dancing?' *We should realise that TV
forecasts are for'entertainment', not for a hint of the forthcoming
weather. *McElwee, Gibbs and one or two others O.K, the rest just BBC
clones.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Does anyone who posts on here actually watch BBC forecasts on a
regular basis to find out what the weather is likely to do? I watch
the odd one, if I've watched the news, but I gave up relying on them
for weather information when I started using the Internet. Those
forecasts aren't for people who are Internet weather savvy, so it's
best not to complain about them as if they are, or as if they should
be. If you don't like them, don't watch them. There's far better and
more detailed information at your keyboard than you'll ever get via a
condensed TV forecast.

On 12 Oct, 18:32, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On Oct 12, 5:18*pm, "Les Hemmings" wrote:

Les Hemmings wrote:
PM has just started...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2009/1...nd_new_weathe_....

Stay tuned. We want to know what YOU think about our brand new weather
forecast.

It starts just after 17:55 BST... I hope it's the one they tried in the
style of the shipping forecast. That was very clear...

* * * I heard it - it was OK. *What they need to do now is to
eliminate the practice of using towns to represent fairly large
areas. *20°C in Southampton? *What about *Andover, then, people will
ask. *Why not just say Southern England, or central Southern England,
or Hampshire?
* * * Even so, an improvement. *I wonder if they read these threads.
If so, my apologies to Messrs Schafernaker and Tobyn. *I'm sure
they're terribly nice people and kind to animals.

The presenterr (Simon King?) fluffed it a bit and I find at the time-
wasting use of antiquated Fahrenheit comparisons a bit distracting.

Otherwise not a bad effort.

Martin


Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
...
On 12 Oct, 18:32, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On Oct 12, 5:18 pm, "Les Hemmings" wrote:

Les Hemmings wrote:
PM has just started...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/pm/2009/1...nd_new_weathe_...

Stay tuned. We want to know what YOU think about our brand new weather
forecast.

It starts just after 17:55 BST... I hope it's the one they tried in the
style of the shipping forecast. That was very clear...

I heard it - it was OK. What they need to do now is to
eliminate the practice of using towns to represent fairly large
areas. 20°C in Southampton? What about Andover, then, people will
ask. Why not just say Southern England, or central Southern England,
or Hampshire?
Even so, an improvement. I wonder if they read these threads.
If so, my apologies to Messrs Schafernaker and Tobyn. I'm sure
they're terribly nice people and kind to animals.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

Yes, this practice of using towns irritates me, I'm thoroughly p****d
off with being told, as the camera briefly swings across SW England,
that's it's going to be 16C in Plymouth. The temperature on the
opposing coasts of Devon/Cornwall is often so different they could, at
the very least, give some idea of the variance.

As it happens, it was 16C in Penzance today - same as Plymouth
apparently.

Graham
Penzance
===================

Ha ha ha you should try living on Dartmoor! Not a hope in hell of hearing
what it is going to do. It's either someone blethering on about fog and it's
clear or someone blethering on about cloud and its foggy, or someone
blethering on about a damp start and there is an inch of snow on the ground!

Will
--