BBC Wales Today

Infobox Television
show_name = BBC Wales Today


caption = "Wales Today" titles
format = News
picture_format = 720x576 anamorphic 16:9
runtime = 30 minutes (main bulletin)
presenter = Jamie Owen
Lucy Owen
channel = BBC One Wales
first_aired = 17 September, 1962
last_aired = present
producer = BBC Wales
preceded_by = "BBC News Wales" (1957–1962)
related = "Newyddion"

"Wales Today" is the BBC's English-language national news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Wales in Llandaff, Cardiff.

History

The programme began at 6:10pm on Monday 17 September 1962. Its predecessor, a five-minute "News from Wales" bulletin, started in 1957 and was originally presented by Michael Aspel. As with its predecessor, "Wales Today" was originally broadcast to the then-joint BBC television region of Wales and the West of England and shared a 25-minute time slot with a news bulletin for the West of England (later to become "Points West").

By February 1964, two new television regions, BBC Wales and BBC West, had been created. "Wales Today" thus became a 25-minute programme broadcast only to Wales.

Bulletins

On weekdays, Wales Today broadcasts six three minute bulletins at 27 and 57 minutes past each hour during BBC Breakfast. A 15-minute lunchtime programme airs at 1:30pm with a short update broadcast at 3pm. The main half-hour edition of the programme airs between 6:30pm and 7:00pm. A short 30-second headline update is broadcast during BBC News's 8pm summary with the late night bulletin airing at 10:25pm, following the BBC News at Ten.

A five-minute bulletin airs on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

From November 2001, a fifteen minute news bulletin was broadcast on the digital opt-out service BBC 2W, first as "2W News and Sport" and later, "Wales Today on 2W". The bulletin was axed in 2007.

The programme can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on digital satellite channel 972 on the BBC UK regional TV on satellite service.

Presenters

The evening programme's main presenters are Jamie Owen and Lucy Owen, who controversially left ITV's Wales Tonight, and moved to BBC Wales to replace Sara Edwards. Other presenters include Tomos Dafydd and Jayne James. Sport has been presented by Claire Summers since 8 September 2008. The weather has presented by Derek Brockway since 1997, who took over from Helen Willetts.

Former presenters of Wales Today include Brian Hoey, John Darran, Sara Edwards, Vincent Kane, Chris Morgan, Jason Mohammed, David Parry-Jones and Bob Humphrys.

External links

*bbc.co.uk|id=walesnews|title=BBC News - Wales
*bbc.co.uk|id=wales/walestoday|title="BBC Wales Today"
*imdb title|0404685|BBC Wales Today