side of television picture missing

[123spanner]

am i being ignorant, but whatever way i set up my widescreen tv it seems to miss a bit of the picture both sides.
it was stated when i had an old fashioned tv that programmes were broadcast in widescreen format and that this would be remedied if i got a widescreen.
i now have a widescreen and i get half a newsreader, half the words written, etc
i have tried all settings including 4 3 zoom widescreen smart etc but to no avail.
why are these programmes broadcast in this way if even people with widescreen tv miss a part of the picture

[matt1e]

hi
if you are watching via sky then enter the services menu /setup /picture settings and make sure the picture format is set to 16/9

[Tichfield]

Yes, make sure it is 16/9 not 4/3.

[pug100]

It depends on which reception method you use. Analogue terrestrial is broadcast in a 14:9 aspect (a bit between proper 16:9 widescreen and 4:3) so that those still using 4:3 tvs don't lose too much picture.
Digital tv platforms (Freeview Satellite and Cable) have a digital reciever on which there are settings to choose the type of tv set (screen size) you have. So if your tv is widescreen then set your digibox to 16:9 and you won't miss anything. However when you switch between the digital receiver and analogue the tv may not follow and may need to be set each time.
Ther's lots more info here with pictures to help the explanation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/digitaltv/wides creen.shtml