MediaCity 'nightmare' move

Amanda Crook

October 08, 2008

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Sir David Attenborough, speaking at Salford University

TV wildlife film-maker Sir David Attenborough predicts big problems for the BBC's move to Salford.

The corporation is set to move five departments and 1,500 jobs to the city's new MediaCity in 2011.

But the former BBC Director of Programmes and controller of BBC2 said he had unsuccessfully tried once to start up a BBC northern headquarters in Birmingham.

Sir David, who was at Salford University to give a lecture to launch a new MA course in wildlife documentary production, said it could be a `nightmare' trying to uproot and move whole departments from their London base.

He said: "In the United States it would be absurd to have all broadcasting in one central location, in Iceland it makes sense to base everything in Reykjavik, because of its size but Britain is in between these two extremes and it creates a problem.

"I tried to establish a broadcasting centre outside London, in Birmingham, but I found it very hard. We tried to transfer a lot of production there but in the end Birmingham was too close to London and it didn't work. All the people contributing to the programmes were based in London.

"It is a very difficult problem but the exception to this is Bristol and the west of England region, which was dedicated to natural history broadcasting. There the specialism took root and flourished.

"If you move whole departments, people who are settled and happy have to move and it can be an admin and managerial nightmare."

BBC Sport, Children's BBC and BBC Learning, Radio Five Live and the BBC's Future Media and Technology division are all earmarked for the £250m move.

Students queued to meet Sir David ahead of his lecture titled Unnatural History - to mark the start of the first MA of its kind in Europe.

Sir David spoke about his broadcasting career, which spans more than 50 years.

He said one of his best moments came in the 1950s, when he visited New Guinea for the first time and saw a bird of paradise - his favourite animal. He also said he was sad never to have seen the blue-faced golden snub-nosed monkey from China.

He said: "It is always exciting to talk to people interested in the same thing as you are, particularly if they are just starting out on their careers. Production is getting more and more complicated now so it is good to learn about the technology but you need to get out and do it too, that is crucial to learning this business."

MA student Laura Hacking, 22, from Blackburn, said: "It is so exciting to meet him and listen to him talking about all the documentaries we have seen. I have grown up watching him, his work has inspired me to follow this career."

John Mundy, head of the school of arts, media and social sciences said: "Having someone as prestigious as Sir David to launch our course is a very auspicious start. There's no better person to inspire the students."

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Mark, South Manchester (08/10/2008 at 10:56)

Manchester is going to come in for one "hell of a load of stick" over the coming years, in the pro London national media, when this move starts to take effect.
These BBC transferees will be constantly running to the Daily Mail & Telegraph etc - whinging about this relocation and just what a vile hellhole the North is.

And if the current BBC Manchester output from Oxford Road is anything to go by - this actually could end up being a nightmare for regional TV's reputation.
(Alas I'd rather this investment was coming from Granada,as it was, than the sneeringly snobbish BBC!)

Jay B, oldham (08/10/2008 at 11:29)

BBC northern headquarters in Birmingham! can tell he's based in the south! nothing exists past birmingham.

Mr Manchester (08/10/2008 at 12:28)

MEN: he said it 'could' be a nightmare, not a cast-iron guaranteed 'will'! Of course logistical movements on this scale will involve some pain, but professional relocation companies will be involved, not just a couple of Cockneys and a wagon.

So out of character for the MEN to use a doom-laden headline...

citycentre, manchester (08/10/2008 at 13:20)

Sadly ITV is moving in the opposite direction; luckily the publicy funded BBC seems more keen on the regions than ITV these days

VinoTinto (08/10/2008 at 13:44)

Jay B. Thought exactly the same thing!

Â£2530 to drive to work? I'd be better on the DOLE!!! - Paul Teeque (08/10/2008 at 14:14)

"come to manc and get spanked for £2000+ a year to drive to work"

GREAT!

ebble, manchester (08/10/2008 at 17:42)

The Salford move will be disaster for the paying public. Most staff are appalled at the prospect of leaving their London base for Salford and few of them will move, meaning that Salford will be staffed with second rate people from the start. The project will fall flat on its face but the Salford base will remain open for decades as a white elephant costing the TV tax payer millions. The best work will quickly drift back to London and Salford will be left with the dregs.

The BBC is unaccountable and has a guaranteed income so it has nothing to fear from silly ventures like this one. Scrap the licence fee and let the BBC survive on voluntary subscription - that's the only way to ensure it behaves in a responsible manner with money.

lizard (08/10/2008 at 17:56)

Mr Manchester, "not just a couple of Cockneys and a wagon.". what a great description!!, made me smile!!.
This is fuss over nowt, Manchester, Salford and others, have universities that are birthing media types yearly, those that "come up" with the bbc, would be replaced in no time, if not at retirement then at their return back to London, which one presumes they will if they hate the place so much?..or will they???.

hodie, wiltshire (08/10/2008 at 18:28)

Manchester will have to brace itself as the media believe London to be the centre of the universe, as Attenbororugh's comments demonstate! This is just the first of the "big guns." The carping in the mornings on Five Live started at least 12 months ago.Using Bristol is a clever ploy which is economical with the truth. It is a much smaller unit and initially had to fight the London mafia all the way for funds. It proved itself by being excellent and Manchester is quite capable of doing the same.

Octavius Tinsworth Ace (09/10/2008 at 09:32)

Ebble, to counter your absurdly pessimistic point, look at Granada, who were formed without any form of relocation and were established in Manchester from the very beginning. They were responsible, during their heyday, for some of the best programming put out by ITV. If BBC employees aren't keen on moving from London, it's no great loss. I reckon there are plenty of talented media students at Manchester and Salford universities to fulfil demand (who previously would have had little choice but to relocate to London).

However, ebble, I fear you're never going to be convinced. I imagine that if you were to win the lottery, you'd still manage to moan about it.

lizard (09/10/2008 at 11:33)

ebble, manchester, Expand on these comments, because it looks like you are insulting the capabilities of media workers of the region. "Salford will be staffed with second rate people from the start.". "Salford will be left with the dregs.". As for "Most staff are appalled at the prospect of leaving their London base for Salford and few of them will move,", good!, because most of them have enjoyed their positions under the scheme "jobs for the boys", ( probably went to Bournmouth uni?? }, And as said previously, Manchester/Salford grow their own talent, and true talent, not reliant on "connections/networking" , they will be licence payers too, the North is full of them.

The unpalatable truth, Manchester (09/10/2008 at 12:55)

Interesting how moving people from London to the Manchester area is considered a "nightmare" but has been going on for decades in the other direction without there appearing to be too much of a logistical problem.

ebble, manchester (09/10/2008 at 15:06)

Attenborough has to be diplomatic about these things and he has been in this case. He knows what is general knowledge in London. The top BBC talent will not move north and top guests won't travel to Manchester to appear on Radio 5. The BBC has admitted as much itself. We can expect to see presenters like Gary Lineker either quitting Match of the Day or commuting up to Manchester every weekend to do it - hardly a sensible way to do things. The children's department might do OK up here, but it won't be long before the sports dept and Radio 5 are Salford based in name only. The work will go back to London.

In the 70s Radio 4 split its flagship Today programme with one presenter in London and one in Manchester. It was an embarrassing failure as the Manchester end was quickly shown to be irrlelevant. And Richard and Judy quit Liverpool to go where 95% of the broadcasting action is in the UK, London.

Longsight Lover from Liverpool, Longsight, near Liverpool (09/10/2008 at 18:48)

ebble, whilst I agree with your comments, isn't this the reason why BBC talent are paid a handsome price for their services? I'm sure the likes of Liniker will understand the situation considering their pay.

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