BBC 'retilts' UK to placate Scots


The BBC is to change its controversial new weather maps after a storm
of complaints that they were confusing and biased against Scotland and
the north.

It will "retilt" the map from tomorrow, in what will be see as a
victory for viewer power and a humiliating climbdown for the
corporation, which has invested £1m in the hi-tech forecasts.

By straightening the "aerial view" of the UK, the BBC will redress the
main complaint that Scotland was shrunk out of proportion to the rest
of the UK.

"The BBC has changed its mind almost as quickly as the weather changes
in the Western Isles," said Angus MacNeil, the Scottish National party
MP who tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons in protest
at the forecasts.

"This is a great victory for people from across Scotland who raised
their concerns with the BBC. It goes to show that Scotland's voice can
be heard and we can make London think again. We have made Scotland
matter in the boardrooms of the BBC.

"But of course this is only the first stage. People are equally
concerned about the loss of wind speeds and isobars - two pieces of
information that are crucial to my constituents and others who make a
living outdoors.

"I will be keeping up the pressure on the BBC on these points, and
look forward to further changes and improvements on their weather
map."

The new 3D forecasts have come under unprecedented attack since they
were launched in a blaze of publicity last week with 4,000 complaints.

Viewers and former BBC weather forecasters lined up to criticise the
bulletins, in which "virtual reality" clouds and rain are animated
over a beige-coloured British Isles, saying they were unclear and
induced motion sickness.

The BBC director of news, Helen Boaden, today intervened in the crisis
- she telephoned one of the leading protesters, the SNP media
spokesman Pete Wishart, to tell him that changes would be made to the
map tomorrow.

"I spoke to the BBC's director of news this morning and she has
confirmed the changes will take place," said Mr Wishart.

"This is good news for Scotland and is a decision that reflects well
on the BBC. They have listened and learned and should be congratulated
for their speedy response to viewers' complaints."

The BBC was forced onto the defensive over the forecasts almost
immediately after the new 3D graphics appeared on screen 11 days ago.

Viewers were the first to protest with politicians quick to wade in on
their behalf. The campaign for a change intensified when the former
BBC weather chief, Bill Giles, said the forecasts were "too much, too
soon".

"The new technology is very clever, but I don't think they've thought
it through carefully enough," he said.

And yesterday, John Teather, who founded the BBC's weather centre in
1991, said he was "depressed" by the graphics, which he said did
nothing to help viewers understand the forecast.

He accused management of censorship after his comments were removed
from a BBC website just minutes after they were posted.

Critics complained that the 3D map under-represented Scotland, which
was reduced to the size of south-west England. The SNP called on
viewers to "flood the BBC with complaints".

Nevertheless, BBC management initially held firm in the face of
criticism, saying it would take viewers time to get used to the new
system.

The BBC weather centre manager, Andrew Lane, said the new forecast
gave viewers "the extra clarity and detail they have told us they want
from our forecasts".

A statement posted on the BBC's website yesterday said audience
research had shown 69% of viewers "either preferred the new weather
system or like it as much as the old forecasts".

However, that left 31% - nearly a third of viewers - who thought it
inferior to the old forecasts.

The BBC suffered further embarrassment after it emerged that the
system, which was bought from the New Zealand Met Office, was turned
down by ITV in a revamp of its weather forecasts earlier this year.

"ITV avoided devices that are, perhaps, more appealing to television
producers than to viewers who simply want to know what to wear
tomorrow," the ITV News executive, Michael Jeremy, said earlier this
week.

A BBC spokesman was unavailable for comment.

(from Media Guardian)