BBC television news programme for the South East of England
BBC South East Today
is the
BBC South East
regional television news programme, serving
Kent
,
East Sussex
, part of
West Sussex
and a small part of
Surrey
. Prior to its launch on 3 September 2001, most of the viewers in the region received
Newsroom South East
, though some had been receiving
South Today
.
South East Today
is produced and broadcast live from the BBC's South East Regional Production Centre in
Royal Tunbridge Wells
with district reporters covering
Brighton
,
Canterbury
,
Chatham
,
Dover
and
Hastings
.
Overview
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]
Launched on 3 September 2001,
South East Today
airs with short programmes and bulletins at varying times.
The programme can be watched in any part of the UK (and Europe) on
digital satellite
on the
BBC UK regional TV on satellite
service.
Launched with a sole main presenter
Laurie Mayer
, the programme was briefly the centre of a minor BBC scandal, after Mayer resigned amid accusations of management bullying.
[1]
Mayer lost his case, but the managers concerned have since moved on.
[
citation needed
]
The show then became double-headed, with Beverley Thompson (formerly the programme's health correspondent) and
Giles Dilnot
presenting. In 2004, Geoff Clark joined the programme . Clark and Thompson presented the programme together for five years until their departure in September 2009.
[2]
Long-serving weather presenter Kaddy Lee-Preston, who had been with South East Today since its launch left the programme in March 2012.
[3]
The main presenter is
Natalie Graham
with weather presenters
Nina Ridge
and
Sara Thornton
.
[4]
The programme's editor is Quentin Smith and the sports producer is Ben Moore. Rob Smith left the programme in November 2020.
The main transmitters that carry the regional news are Heathfield, Bluebell Hill and Dover, with associated relays including Hastings, Tunbridge Wells and Whitehawk Hill. As of 7 March 2012 (following
digital switchover
), the Whitehawk Hill relay transmitter (which serves the
Brighton & Hove
area) now carries
BBC South East
output instead of BBC South, and the region extends as far west as
Worthing
.
[5]
In 2020, the weekday lunchtime bulletin of South East Today merged with that of BBC London News to join forces with the latest on COVID-19 as
BBC London and South East
, hosted by the South East Today team in Tunbridge Wells. All other bulletins remained separate between the two regions. The two separate newsrooms were restored in September 2020. Very occasionally a joint bulletin will still be broadcast, usually due to staff shortages in one newsroom or the other. On 27 December 2021, South East Today merged with BBC London News and
South Today
to create BBC London, South and South East Today due to staff shortages over the 2021 Christmas holidays.
On 31 March 2023, South East Today merged with South Today to create BBC South and South East Today for one late night only.
Presenters
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News
[
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]
Weather
[
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]
Former presenters
[
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]
See also
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]
References
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]
External links
[
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]
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Locations within
Tunbridge Wells
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Buildings
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Businesses
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People
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Religion
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Political
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Schools and colleges
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Sport, leisure and the arts
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Twin towns
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Italics denote places in East Sussex included as they are generally considered part of Tunbridge Wells.
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