Sky News is a rolling TV news channel providing 24 hour news coverage including the latest breaking news. Currently broadcasting from a news centre in London, the channel provides domestic and international coverage to audiences in the UK as well as around the globe. Sky News started broadcasting on 5 February 1989 as part of the then four-channel Sky Television service. Sky News provides an hourly news radio service to multiple radio networks in the UK. Although the station is targeted at the UK and Ireland, it is carried around the world on a number of services, particularly being favoured by expatriates who want to keep up-to-date with the latest news from home. The channel currently has seven UK bases each with their own correspondents, but the channel can also call upon a wide range of resources and global bureaux provided by its parent company NewsCorp.

Sky News has built its schedule around the main, highly experienced anchors with appointment to view broadcasts regularly being supplemented by landmark broadcasts. When major breaking news reaches the channel, it has more recently started to revert to the old double-headed style with two presenters anchoring. Sky News is famous for its innovations in news broadcasting and regularly wins awards for this and also for its broadcasting in general.^[1]

Sky News has started to revamp its graphics almost every year, with the latest revamp being revealed at 6am on 3rd April 2008. The latest look has fewer on screen graphics and a more minimalist style.

Overview

Sky News is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation via his holding in British Sky Broadcasting. Murdoch said of it in March 1992, when he was the full owner:

The station's headquarters are in Osterley, West London, employing well over 50 on-screen staff (anchors, weather forecasters, correspondents and reporters) and over 600 behind-the-scenes staff. The station has eight of its own bureaus outside the United Kingdom and shares many more with other News Corporation stations.

Sky also produces a website (Sky News Online); and a Library Sales division, and bulletins for Five News.

History

On 8 June 1988, Rupert Murdoch announced to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts that he would provide a new television news service. Sky News started broadcasting at 6pm on 5 February 1989.

In the early days the channel operated on a £40 million budget (plus £10 million share of overheads), which led Sam Chisholm to propose to Murdoch the station be closed, but Rupert was pleased with its achievements ... there were overriding reasons of prestige and politics for keeping it ... the final hurdle of the Broadcasting Bill had still to be overcome and the case for the acceptability of Sky would collapse if suddenly there was no news channel. - former deputy Prime Minister Viscount Whitelaw said to the House of Lords in 1990 that Sky News had a very high reputation ... I admire it, as do many other people, it will certainly waken up both the BBC and ITN and ensure that they compete with that is a very important news service. The channel has never been run for a profit, ^[2] and has considered using ITN to supplement the service.

By March 1992 Sky turned from loss to profit, when Murdoch would say Sky News, has quietly, if expensively, become the first building block of what we envision will become the premier world-wide electronic news-gathering network anywhere. Ask anyone in Europe, and particularly the BBC and you will be told that Sky News has added a new and better dimension to television journalism.

Sky News was the only UK 24 hour news channel (aside from CNN international on Astra, BBC World Service Television started in 1991 but has never been broadcast in the UK) until November 1997 when BBC News launched a new 24 hour channel, BBC News 24, now known simply as BBC News. In September 1999 the European Commission ruled against a complaint by Sky News which argued that the publicly funded BBC News 24 was unfair and illegal under EU law. The EC ruled that the television licence fee should be considered state aid (within the meaning of Article 87) and that it was justified due to the public service remit of the BBC and that it did not exceed actual costs of the channel.^[3]

In March 2000 Sky News Active was launched, a 24-hour interactive service providing headlines (and other services which ranged from weather, the top story of the day and showbiz) on demand.

In March 2004 it was announced that Sky News had won a 5-year contract to supply news bulletins to Five, taking over from ITN in January 2005 ^[4].

On 24 October 2005, Sky News moved to a new studio with revised music and on screen graphics all in Widescreen (16:9) format and a new schedule. James Rubin joined to present an evening show, and Eamonn Holmes to present Sunrise. This relaunch was disastrous for the channel, and, since October 2005 BBC News has overtaken Sky News in the ratings (although the channel is carried on more platforms). The changes were reversed in July 2006 and on 25 February 2007 the channel changed its graphics scheme that displays breaking news in yellow.

On 1 October 2007 Sky introduced another new schedule, extending Kay Burley's Lunchtime Live programme and renaming it Afternoon Live. They also switched to a Sunrise format for much of the day, with a solo lead presenter and a Summary Presenter. Finally Sky News put more emphasis on interactive news with Martin Stanford's new Sky.com News programme.

Further changes are due on 8 September 2008, with Colin Brazier presenting a new show, Live At One, Martin Stanford's Sky.com News moving to 7pm every weeknight and the introduction of Sky Midnight News.

Reception

BBC News 24 and Sky News weekly reach June 05-Jan-07

Sky News is also shown internationally, and can often be seen in hotels as well as being offered by some cable providers as part of their English-language line-up.

The international version is shown as free-to-air on Astra 1L at 19.2E. It is also carried encrypted on a number of satellites for international reception - including but not limited to Hot Bird, Nilesat, Amos 1 and Intelsat 10-02. It is also usually carried on cable systems in Europe, particularly (but not only) in Northern Europe.

Regional variations

Most of Europe, the Middle East and Asia receive the same version of Sky News as people in the UK, though with localised advertising. These feeds are sometimes known collectively as "Sky World News" and carries a breakfiller, the same to that of BBC World News.

Sky News Australia and Sky News New Zealand are different channels that carry variable amounts Sky News UK programming, and share some of its style, but also have local programming and advertising. In Australia, a Sky News UK feed is also available at all times, albeit a tiny quarter screen version. From 2004 to 2006 Sky News Ireland similarly carried local programming. This was then discontinued, the Irish feed reverting to a local advertising only service.

Virgin Media dispute

On 1 March 2007, the contract for Virgin Media to provide Sky's basic channels (including Sky News) on their cable TV service expired after a dispute between Virgin Media and BSkyB. ^[7]. At Midnight, Sky News was removed, the electronic programming guide changed to "SKY SNOOZE TRY BBC" until Richard Branson demanded the message be removed^[8] saying I have asked them to take it down. We do not mean any disrespect to Sky News. I think it is a very good news channel.

Sky News Radio

Sky News Radio is a provider of news bulletins for radio stations in the United Kingdom.^[9]

In March 2007, BSkyB and Chrysalis Group announced a joint partnership to launch a dedicated Sky News Radio station on the proposed bid by Channel 4's 4 Digital Group for the second DAB multiplex in the United Kingdom.^[10] However, two months later Chrysalis sold its radio stations to Global Radio UK,^[11] and in October 2007 following a business review Global's chief executive announced that they would be withdrawing from the joint venture.^[12] Sky have announced plans to find a partner elsewhere.

The feed is available FTA at 28.2 East by manually tuning it in: 12051.00 V 27500 2/3

Regular presenters and Programmes

Sky News with the latest colour scheme as of April 2008: predominantly red and black is used.

From September 8, Sky will be introducing a new daytime show from 1pm - 2pm called Liev at One, presented by Colin Brazier who will then stay on to provide headlines for Afternoon Live, which will now run between 2pm - 5pm. There will also be changes to the evening schedule, with SkyNews.Com (formerly Sky.com News) on every weeknight at 7pm. Jeff Randall Live will continue to be broadcast at 7.30pm on a Monday.

Other presenters on the channel, often working as relief presenters include Mark Longhurst, Gillian Joseph, Chris Roberts, Andrew Wilson, Steve Dixon, Samantha Simmonds, Helen Fospero, Lorna Dunkley and Paula Middlehurst. Lukwesa Burak, Sasha Twining, Jason de la Pena, Phil Lavelle, Tamsin Roberts, Sarah Jane Mee and Marverine Cole all present the channels coverage overnight.

Other programming on the channel includes

• Jeff Randall Live
• News, Sport, Weather
• SkyNews.Com
• Sky World News
• Sportsline
• Saturday Live with Chris Roberts
• Sunday Live with Adam Boulton
• Weekend Lunchtime Live

When elections, either national, or international take place, Sky edits its schedule to focus on them. Recent examples have been the UK General Elections of 2005, the Israeli Elections of 2006, the US Mid-Term Elections of 2006 and the UK Local Elections of 2008. Sky also often shows long interviews. Recent examples of these have been Adam Boulton's exclusive half-hour interview with Al Gore. At the end of each year, in December and January of the new year, a series of special 'Year in Review' shows are shown which look back at memorable news stories from the past year.

and

In-Depth Series

The channel regularly focusses on specific areas of society and current affairs, which allows for further indepth analysis and debate. In the past examples of these series have included Inside Iraq, Green Britain and Crime Uncovered.

For Queen and Country - the most recent example of these series - was shown throughout the week beginning Monday 16th June 2008. The Sky News Press Office wrote;

Identification and stings

Bruce Hammal is heard at the top of each hour introducing the channel, for example saying "Sky News, with presenter/s.", after October 2005 he said "Live from the Sky News Centre, this is Programme name with presenters." or "This is programme name with presenter/s".

Several years earlier after the merger between Sky Television plc & British Satellite Broadcasting, Hammel's introduction was "This is Sky News a part of the British Sky Broadcasting Network", in 1993 the introduction was "From the Sky satellite network this is Sky News", and by 1995 "This is Sky News, part of the Sky Television Network" - or just "This is Sky News".

Perception and awards

Sky News viewing peaked during 9/11, Iraq War, Asian Tsunami, 2005 London bombings and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales but has generally declined to a quarter achieved in 1992-95

In early 1994 Kelvin MacKenzie, former editor of The Sun newspaper, was appointed Managing Director of BSkyB. MacKenzie's proposed changes to Sky News lead to clashes with CEO Sam Chisholm and the head of Sky News, Ian Frykberg, who protested what they saw as an attempt to take its news values down market. The most ferocious battle occurred when Mackenzie wanted Sky News to run an interview with Lady Bienvenida Buck. Frykberg refused to air the interview and resigned shortly afterwards - the interview was put on Sky One.^[13] MacKenzie announced his resignation in August 1994,^[13] but not until Sky News had transmitted live pictures of the freeway chase of OJ Simpson white bronco on 17 June 1994 bringing US helicopter journalism to the UK^[14]. Sky News covered the trial in Boston US trial of Louise Woodward with live coverage. ^[15]When Sky returned to a regular schedule, viewers demanded the trial coverage.^[15] From Woodward's home in Elton, Cheshire Sky broadcast locals reactions, but this brought criticism of maintaining a pro-Louise Woodward stance, as she was found guilty. ^[15] From 2000 onwards, Sky News began expanded the international coverage opening bureaus in Africa, Europe, and the far East. It won awards from the Royal Television Society^[16]. Sky News has had BAFTA awards for coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks ^[17]and in 2003 for the Soham Murders^[18]. Coverage of the 7 July 2005 London bombings won the 2006 International Emmy Breaking News award commending the "fast and accurate" reporting.^[19] In June 2007 Sky News was named the "Best News Channel" at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards. It beat several other national and international broadcasters including Aljazeera English and the BBC^[20]. In November 2005 the then head of BBC News, Peter Horrocks acknowledged that Sky News remained the first choice for 'key opinion formers'.^[21]. However, in recent years, Sky News has increasingly started to fall behind BBC News in the ratings, currently having about half the ratings of BBC News. Sister network Fox News Channel is broadcast in the UK, thus Sky News does not carry that channel's news/commentary programmes during the overnight (prime-time in the U.S.).

Bureaux

Bureaux in bold are Sky News bureaus, others are shared with other News Corporation networks.