We self-evidently live in unique and disruptive times, in many ways the new normal means that we will never revert to some of the “old” ways of working. Combined with that we in the Society are not at present able to meet together for physical meetings. It’s all the more reason therefore that we meet using the technology that is now widely available, indeed, a genre of technology that is being used in today’s news gathering which is operating in unprecedented ways in terms of both story, operations and technology. 

Being Head of UK News Operations at the BBC, Morwen Williams is eminently qualified to describe how BBC News has responded to the unprecedented lockdown situation that we find ourselves in, both at home and abroad. What were once everyday commodity applications have suddenly become critical to news gathering with the requirement to be agile in a constrained physical environment. COVID-19 has also put a much greater demand for news content as the rolling news schedules require their voracious appetites to be sated. This session promises to give an authoritative insight into the way that BBC News has innovated to meet the demand and looks to the future considering to what extent the new ways of working are here to stay.

Morwen Williams is Head of UK Operations for BBC News, leading the technical and studio teams of BBC News and managing multi-million-pound budgets.

She is responsible for creative technical news gathering as well as all news studios in London and Salford at MediaCity, and is responsible for a team of more than 700 people. She is the bridge between the BBC’s journalism and technology- using technology to its fullest to tell stories better for audiences. Previously Morwen was BBC News’s Deputy UK Editor and led on major special events in the UK, and has worked as an output editor and producer in BBC regions in London and Manchester. She is also chair of the WBU (World Broadcasting Union) International Media Connectivity Group, working with other broadcasters to find common solutions in this area. She is a keen supporter of the BBC’s apprentice schemes to deliver new and more diverse technical talent in the BBC, as well as working with BBC News’s Women in Technology programme. She is a mentor for RISE Women in Broadcasting and the John Schofield Trust for young journalists.  She is proud to have been named as the Rise Women in Broadcasting Woman of the Year 2019 at IBC. 

This event will be held via Zoom, please register here to attend. Full details of how to join the call will be emailed to you once you have registered.

Also joining us will be 

Robin Pembrooke, Director, News Product and Systems

Robin leads the teams responsible for the design, build and integration of production systems and digital products for BBC News globally across radio, TV and online. This includes websites, apps, and connected TV for News in English and languages for the World Service - as well as BBC Weather. Robin also supports the different departments of the BBC News division, Monitoring, and the World Service and is a member of the BBC Design and Engineering Management Team.