Ron Neil departed from the programme and on 10 November 1986 a more conventional news focus was introduced featuring a news desk, presenters in smart dress and a time-reduced programme broadcast that began at 7 am and ended any time between 8.30 am and 8.55 am.
Next came the merging of the separate programmes of BBC One and BBC News 24 into one single simulcast starting from 2 October 2000.