BBC bringing the world's news to American viewers
They speak English at the BBC, but CBS News veteran Rome Hartman still faced a language barrier when he was hired to create a newscast specifically for American viewers.
Almost all of the TV terms he was accustomed to were different. The American anchorman is a "presenter" at the BBC. The producer works in a "gallery," not a control room. And a voiceover is known as an OOV -- an acronym for "out of vision."
"I'm not so arrogant that I think the entire BBC should adopt my lingo," Hartman said, "but it does make my head hurt."
Nearly four months of planning bore fruit last week when the hourlong "BBC World News America" debuted at 6 p.m. Monday on BBC America, a network available in about half of the nation's TV homes. Parts of the newscast will also be seen on PBS stations that regularly air news material from the British Broadcasting Corp.
Matt Frei, the BBC's lead correspondent in the U.S. for the last five years, is the anchor. Oops, we mean presenter.
It was the second time in a year Hartman was asked to create a new newscast. He was Katie Couric's first executive producer at the "CBS Evening News" and the fall guy when that went sour.
His goal each night is to "bring the world home to Americans."
While many American networks boast of having a worldwide reach, it's mostly just talk compared to the resources of the BBC, Hartman said. CNN comes closest with its international staffing, but "if you look at what CNN broadcasts to an American audience, the appetite for world news on a daily basis for the domestic network is really quite limited," he said.
"BBC World News America" won't ignore breaking news from the United States -- but if you're looking for extensive coverage of a tornado blowing apart some mobile homes, it's best to turn to the American networks. Frei is looking forward to presenting an outsider's view of the upcoming presidential election.
During Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contentious trip to New York, for example, the BBC could offer another angle with its ability to quickly gauge how the leader's actions were playing back home.
Besides news reports, the BBC will offer "60 Minutes"-style in-depth pieces, interviews by Frei and round-table discussions. For most viewers, it will complement, rather than replace, the American network newscasts.
"What we have to do is use what the people come to the BBC for," Hartman said. "They come to us because they want a smart and sophisticated view of the world and that's what we hope to provide."
BBC America on Monday also begin presenting a second daily newscast, "World News Today," at 9 p.m. central time.
One of the BBC's faults, Frei said, is that it takes for granted a certain level of knowledge among its viewers. Hartman has been helpful in encouraging BBC reporters to make clear to viewers why a particular story is important.
Hmmmm. Does that mean a little condescension can slip through?
"We are British," Frei said, "and people have this impression of the British as being a bit stuffy, a bit haughty. We have to be aware of that. I personally don't think if you watch a BBC newscast now that you will feel you're being talked down to and I think the American audience will feel the same way."