91Èȱ¬

In retrospect, yesterday proved to be what 91Èȱ¬ managers might euphemistically describe as an "interesting and challenging" day to experiment with a real-time blog live from the News 24 gallery. There were - as usual - many breaking news stories to deal with, but what was genuinely unexpected was the way the drama unfolded about the 91Èȱ¬ itself and that documentary about the Queen. I hope we made sense of it on News 24 and across 91Èȱ¬ News.

To answer at least some of the questions and points raised yesterday:

Why lead at 12 on the Queen story?
The 91Èȱ¬ apologising to the Queen was clearly a major news item - as today's newspapers seem to demonstrate.

What other stories have been "spun"?
We all sincerely hope that this unfortunate episode was not symptomatic.

Could we offer a "newsier" service while Breakfast is on 91Èȱ¬ One?
Financially difficult - particularly at present. Although News 24 does - and will - "break away" from Breakfast early when there is major breaking news.

Does popularity of stories on 91Èȱ¬ website influence decision-making?
Up to a point. Many stories prove very popular online, but wouldn't make it into the News 24 headlines (today's example might be "Grumpy old people can’t help it"). But seeing - in real time - what is driving interest online can help in the choice of stories we chase on News 24.

How many people are in the News 24 gallery?
Generally, seven: editor, studio producer, director/vision mixer (in traditional galleries, the director and vision mixer are two separate people), sound director, communications director (lining up "outside source" contributions), caption writer, autocue operator. Plus our graphics team (of two) sit at the end of the gallery.

Could posts be displayed with the most recent at the top?
I think so, but this would be beyond my technical capabilities - which are akin to those of a caterpillar.

Are Reeta and Shami Chakrabarti related?
No.

Most fraught atmosphere in the gallery?
Big pre-planned, set-piece events - particularly when we're simulcasting a special programme on 91Èȱ¬ One - generally add to the tension.

"Unlikely" testing stories?
Often ones involving the 91Èȱ¬!

Do we liaise with Five Live over chasing stories and guests?
Yes - the Five Live teams sit only yards away from ours, but I'm sure we could do more.

Why the interest in the drugs arrests in Ghana?
Two 16-year-old British girls arrested on drugs charges is not an everyday occurrence - their age made it a more compelling story.

Why was HM Revenue and Customs representative captioned "Customs and Excise" (the name changed some time ago)?
Sorry - it was a mistake made in haste.

How are our on-air maps generated?
We use software called "Curious", which - I'm told - works a bit like Google Earth. And each time we make a new map, we add it to our library.

What went wrong at 10.49?
Ah. Glad it wasn't obvious.

Did you pay for a special "ghost-blogger"?
No, though I didn't type my posts myself - I wouldn’t have been able to type so fast! A fantastic guy, who is one of our blog moderators, sat next to me and made sense of my random rantings.

Did blogging detract from the actual output?
Hope not, but not for me to judge.

Can a real time blog be done daily?
NO ! It certainly added to the pressure in what is already a …umm…lively environment, but it was also oddly invigorating. If the powers-that-be approve, and there is demand for it, we may do it again sometime - perhaps with less of the "watch what's going to happen NOW" and more on how we reach the decisions made about the output. Perhaps you could suggest how it could be done better - if at all - in future?