TV3 has launched a new format and new look for its flagship early evening news bulletin.
The broadcaster’s 5.30 news programme has now been re-branded as ‘The 5.30’ and will be broadcast live from this week from a specially designed new virtual set in the station’s Ballymount headquarters.
As part of the new launch, producers have also changed the format of the news service and say that it will place a greater emphasis on breaking stories, live content and an increase in the number of stories covered from home and abroad.
TV3 also say that its new approach will be “modern and interactive” and that more coverage will be given to technology and social media. They say the programme will be “fully interactive” and will allow viewers to follow correspondents and reporters, via Twitter, throughout the day as they go about their work.
As well as a new studio set, ‘The 5.30’ will use the Metrocam ,an ‘always on’ live device which allows cameras to broadcast live without having to plug in anywhere.
The device has been supplied by Irish-based company LiveLinx and allows broadcasters who buy the service to transmit live without the need for satellite connections or satellite broadcasting truck and crew. Metrocam uses private IP network to transmit broadcasts directly to the newsroom.
Alan Cantwell will continue to anchor the early evening news show, as he has done since the station’s launch.
Andrew Hanlon, TV3’s director of news, said of the new format: “TV3 News has always sought to offer viewers a quality national news service which is informative, relevant and up to date and which above all else is totally independent.
“The changes we are making to our flagship news bulletin are reflective of the major investment which a national news service requires on an on-going basis, even in times of economic hardship.
“As the highest rated programme in its time slot (across all channels) it is clear our viewers value the service which TV3 provides as part of our commitment to public service programming.”
