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BBC News makeover triggers nausea
The Telegraph ^ | 4/21/2008 | Nicole Martin

Posted on 04/21/2008 5:42:35 PM PDT by bruinbirdman

It cost £550,000 and was supposed to usher in a new era for the BBC. But the much-heralded redesign of the corporation's flagship news bulletins got off to a shaky start after viewers complained of dizziness and nausea.

Others criticised the makeover, which features a swirling red globe in the title sequences, as "a colossal waste" of licence-fee payers' money.


The BBC spent £500,000 on the new identity

The backlash against the redesign was prompted by Peter Horrocks, the head of the BBC's multi-media news operation, who wrote on his blog inviting people to comment on the changes.

He said that the new look reflected the BBC's "clear, unfussy, direct, straightforward and fresh" approach to news.

He also said that the names of individual bulletins had changed - for instance, BBC News 24 is now known as BBC News - as part of a drive to unify the corporation's news output.

"It's not intended to be a massive visual change," he wrote, "but an evolution and clarification of what we are about, to enable audiences to recognise the BBC News whenever and wherever they receive it."

However, from the messages which flooded the site, Mr Horrocks clearly underestimated the strength of feeling among BBC viewers.

While some praised the changes for giving BBC News "a clear, fresh and distinctive" identity, others complained that the changes induced sickness.

One said: "The way the globe keeps changing rather quickly and flashily makes my head spin rather. I don't know what effect it would have on an epileptic person."

Other disgruntled bloggers criticised the changes as "unnecessary and confusing".

One wrote: "What a complete waste of licence payers' money. Not only that but the logo is ugly and over complicated. The new look must have cost the BBC a fortune. Was it necessary? Probably not. Thanks for spending my money so wisely."

Another said: "Perhaps you could run a competition to see if viewers could do better than your highly paid consultants. That would be fair, wouldn't it? I'm sure my unborn child could do better; in less than zero time and would pay you for the honour!"

The response echoed the outcry three years ago when the BBC introduced new weather maps.

The corporation was forced to change its new three-dimensional weather map after viewers in the North and Scotland complained that they could not see what was happening.

Others said that the camera "flight" over the country was making them sick.

A BBC spokesman said: "Following Peter Horrocks' call for feedback there have been around 100 comments posted expressing a range of views about the changes - some negative and some positive."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barf; bbc
The UK paid about the same amount for their 1012 Olymbics logo:


1 posted on 04/21/2008 5:42:35 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
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To: bruinbirdman

It looks like the cover of a Devo album.


2 posted on 04/21/2008 5:44:52 PM PDT by Boiler Plate ("Why be difficult, when with just a little more work, you can be impossible" Mom)
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To: bruinbirdman

The BBC gives me nausea whenever I have the misfortune of exposure to it, and it has nothing to do with the logo.


3 posted on 04/21/2008 5:45:57 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (I'm not voting FOR John McCain -- I'm voting AGAINST Hillary/Obama)
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To: bruinbirdman
But the much-heralded redesign of the corporation's flagship news bulletins got off to a shaky start after viewers complained of dizziness and nausea.

What was that TV show that had an episode about this company that would run 30-second commercials crammed into 3 seconds and it made peoples' heads explode or something if they stayed in front of the TV too long?
4 posted on 04/21/2008 5:46:47 PM PDT by Hyzenthlay (I aim to misbehave.)
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To: bruinbirdman
Blame the logo, yeaaaahh, that's the ticket.
5 posted on 04/21/2008 5:49:58 PM PDT by BallyBill (Serial Hit-N-Run poster)
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To: bruinbirdman

That London 2012 logo is truly hideous.


6 posted on 04/21/2008 5:57:37 PM PDT by TheWasteLand
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To: bruinbirdman

BBC is nauseating all by itself.


7 posted on 04/21/2008 6:09:31 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: bruinbirdman

If it’s supposed to represent the BBC, shouldn’t it be angled to the left?


8 posted on 04/21/2008 6:16:51 PM PDT by atomicpossum (Replies must follow approved guidelines or you will be kill-filed without appeal.)
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To: Nervous Tick

But this is shown at the beginning of the program, so you don’t need to wait any longer.


9 posted on 04/21/2008 7:25:10 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Red Steel

I disagree - I like a lot of their TV shows (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Planet Earth, Robin Hood), but don’t really care for their news programming which would fall under the ‘nauseating by itself’ category.


10 posted on 04/21/2008 7:25:29 PM PDT by Hyzenthlay (I aim to misbehave.)
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To: bruinbirdman
Is that for real....??

They actually paid someone to come up with that sh*t...?!?

Revoke the city's rights to the Games until they dump that atrocity.

11 posted on 04/21/2008 7:32:41 PM PDT by Cyropaedia ("Virtue cannot separate itself from reality without becoming a principal of evil...".)
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To: bruinbirdman

Here it is, posted on youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ubk6to_ppL0&feature=related


12 posted on 04/21/2008 7:36:49 PM PDT by Harpo Speaks (Honk! Honk! Honk! Either it's foggy out, or make that a dozen hard boiled eggs.)
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To: 1rudeboy

>> But this is shown at the beginning of the program, so you don’t need to wait any longer.

True... but I’ve been in places where BBC was the only english language choice, so I watched it in spite of the nausea. news junkie needed fix.


13 posted on 04/21/2008 7:37:49 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (I'm not voting FOR John McCain -- I'm voting AGAINST Hillary/Obama)
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To: bruinbirdman
The UK paid about the same amount for their 1012 Olymbics logo:

Unscramble the letters of the Olympic logo, and it spells 'Zion'.

14 posted on 04/21/2008 8:05:17 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: bruinbirdman

I guess the Battle of Hastings ended the Olymbics in England.


15 posted on 04/21/2008 8:08:51 PM PDT by razorback-bert (If yer gunna regret this in the mornin, we kin sleep til afternoon.)
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To: Harpo Speaks
Well, it's the right color for BBCommie.

In the USA, the network leftists knew not to assign the color red to DemoCommie states.

yitbos

16 posted on 04/21/2008 9:34:14 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." - Ayn Rand)
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To: Hyzenthlay

Yes.


17 posted on 04/21/2008 10:27:18 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: Harpo Speaks

Wow. After Fox I thought nothing could make me dizzy but there’s something wrong with that, isn’t there?

I think because it goes in both directions at once.


18 posted on 04/21/2008 11:20:59 PM PDT by I still care ("Remember... for it is the doom of men that they forget" - Merlin, from Excalibur)
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