Interim/Winter Schedules and new Media Partner Centre

Two big transitions are coming to the BBC World Service later this month – the changeover to Interim/Winter schedules to account for daylight saving time, and the sunset of the old BBC Partner Site coinciding with launch of the new Media Partner Centre. Please share this email with any of your colleagues who access schedule or rundown details.

BBC World Service Schedule Changes

Given differences between the U.S. and U.K. in daylight saving time schedules, the BBC World Service will be on a one-week interim schedule prior to the winter schedule.

The 2020 interim winter schedule is effective Sunday, Otober 25 through Saturday, October 31, 2020.

Interim schedule highlights:

  • Newshour
    • Weekday editions remain the same, with an extra edition at 5 p.m. ET
    • Weekend 4 p.m. ET editions remain consistent during the interim schedule week, with an extra edition at 5 p.m. ET
    • Weekend 8 a.m. ET editions shift one hour to 9 a.m. ET. This change impacts scheduling on Sunday, October 25 and Saturday, October 31
  • BBC OS returns to 2 hours and will air weekdays at 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. ET. Note: each hour is stand-alone, and will shift to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. for the Winter schedule

The 2021 winter schedule is effective Sunday, November 1, 2020 through Saturday, March 13, 2021.

Winter schedule highlights:

  • Core news programs (Newshour, Newsday, BBC OS) remain consistent with previous (non-interim) schedules
  • The Newsroom will remain consistent, except for the 6 p.m. edition which shifts 1 hour to 5 p.m. as in previous winter schedules
  • Program note: The new weekly half-hour program The Climate Question will lauch on Monday, November 16

Find these schedules on our website. Please review them carefully and contact your Station Representative with any questions.

Media Partner Centre

Earlier in the year, the Media Partner Centre launched and has been running in parallel with the Partner Site throughout the summer. This fall, on October 26, the Partner Site will cease to be updated and will redirect to the new Media Partner Centre, which will move forward as the main resource for all BBC affiliate stations.

Starting on October 26, the Media Partner Centre will be where you can download:

  • Daily rundowns for live news programs
  • Audio files for non-live programs
  • Any other items that you would normally access on the Partner Site

As previously communicated, one major change on the Media Partner Centre is that credentials are assigned to individual users instead of stations. If you have any staff that still need to apply for credentials, please have them do so via this form before October 26. On the APM Distribution BBC Partners page, we have a full description of the changes, walkthroughs for the BBC Login and credentialing process (including if your credentials have lapsed), and links to pdf and virtual guides for the new Media Partner Centre. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the new site, or contact your Station Representative with any questions.