BBC West

BBC West is the BBC English Region serving Bristol, the majority of Wiltshire, northern and eastern Somerset, the majority of Gloucestershire and northern Dorset.

Television
BBC West's television service (broadcast on BBC One) consists of the flagship regional news service BBC Points West, the topical magazine programme Inside Out West and a 20-minute opt-out during Sunday Politics. A late night football magazine show Late Kick Off is co-produced with BBC South, BBC South West and the independent production company Pergall Media.

Radio
The region is the controlling centre for BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Gloucestershire, BBC Radio Wiltshire and BBC Somerset.

Radio Bristol, Radio Gloucestershire and Radio Wiltshire broadcast local programming every day between 5am and 7pm, while BBC Somerset broadcasts local programming at breakfast from Monday to Saturday, weekday drivetime and Saturday afternoons, simulcasting Radio Bristol at all other times. The five stations simulcast networked programming each evening, joined by stations in the BBC South West region at weekends. Radio Bristol also broadcasts through the night on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Online and Interactive
BBC West also produces regional news & local radio pages for the BBC Red Button and BBC Local websites for each county.

History
BBC West began in 1957 upon the completion of the Wenvoe transmitter. Due to the transmitter's nature, the initial BBC West service broadcast to both the West of England and Wales, and as a result the original BBC West service included Wales. In 1964, when BBC Cymru Wales was launched, BBC West became the current regional area. Their news magazine programme, Points West, was launched during the early 1960s and continued until 1991, when the service was renamed BBC News West. The Points West brand was revived on Monday 22 May 2000 with the application of the regional news generic look.

Studios
BBC West's regional broadcasting centre is located on Whiteladies Road in the Clifton area of Bristol with local radio studios and television bureaux also located in Bath, Gloucester, Swindon and Taunton.

The Bristol studios are the main base for Points West, BBC Radio Bristol and various regional and, previously, network programmes. Network output is now made at other specially built facilities or does not use a studio. The site originally had two studios, A and B, which catered for all output - network programming was produced from Studio A and Points West and other regional output from Studio B. Studio A was closed in 1991 as a cost-saving measure, and in 1996 the site was altered so that new gallery facilities were inserted into part of Studio A. The now smaller Studio A is now used for Points West, while Studio B has been demolished.