The BBC has hit back after internal memos appeared to suggest its Salford move risked becoming an expensive ‘white elephant’.
Documents drawn up by BBC managers highlight a catalogue of potential pitfalls associated with the transfer of 2,300 jobs to MediaCityUK.
The reports raise concerns the move would not deliver the promised savings and could lead to a decline in quality as experienced staff and well-known presenters refused to re-locate.
The ‘risk register’, which was released through a Freedom of Information request, was created by senior managers in charge of the relocation. But BBC North director Peter Salmon said the register was simply a catalogue of ‘worst-case scenarios’, rather than real-life problems.
Writing on his blog, he said: “Every big organisation has one and every department at the BBC is required to keep it updated.
“It lists any and all hypothetical risks to the business, but that doesn’ t mean that they will happen. Indeed, it would be negligent not to have a risk register that covered every potential scenario.”
One document, written by managers responsible for Children’s programmes, expressed concerns the move north ‘could turn out to be an £877m white elephant responsible for a decline in programme quality’.
It added there was a risk ‘the move will not deliver the level of efficiencies expected and that we will have to look locally and compromise on editorial’.
Mr Salmon also had a swipe at people who criticise the BBC’s relocation plans.
The Beeb boss added: “It would be nice to hope that even our harshest critics could take a step back and look at the bigger picture, to stop their hectoring and begin to embrace a future that isn’t London-centric.”
The broadcaster is in the process of relocating employees from London to the north.
Staff from five departments – including Five Live, children’s programming, and sport – are switching to Salford.
But some big-name stars, such as Five Live presenter Gabby Logan and BBC Breakfast host Sian Lloyd, will give up their jobs, rather than move.
Earlier this month, Jeremy Clarkson pitched into the row, saying he would ‘resign in a heartbeat’ if asked to re-locate, labelling Salford ‘a small suburb with Starbucks and a canal with ducks’.
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Exactly the same thing happened to the British Council's attempts to relocate from their extraordinarily expensive offices in London to their purpose built HQ on Medlock St in the early 90s. No-one was prepared to move to Manchester and the big, grey building was eventually flogged to BT.
It's not going to be a white elephant, it will become a first class broadcasting & filming site but it is an unnecessary expense.
What, for example, is the point of moving the sports department up there when the BBC have no interest in covering sport at all? What is the point of spending all that money when it doesn't leave enough to bid for Formula One? Or cricket? Or the FA Cup?
BBC Sport is a joke. Rugby, athletics & whatever golf Sky don't want. And the football that they do have the rights to, they shove on in the middle of the night!
let them resign. these are not heart surgeons or doctors, these are people who sit on a sofa and read other peoples words and get paid good money for doing it. personally i would tell them to stick it and get some local people in.
It's a risk register. You're supposed to list and assess every possible risk to ensure you dedicate time to ensure the risks don't happen and if they do, how you reduce the impact. Identifying a risk doesn't mean it's likely to happen.
You could get struck by lightening tomorrow and get frazzled. Who will do your job? This is a risk for your company. You can reduce the impact by making sure the work you do is documented and your colleagues can cover for you. Identifying this predicament does not mean you should expect a lightening strike in your direction any time soon.
Any journalist who used a freedom of information request to ask for a risk register is just looking to be sensationalist.
There is always risk associated with any move. The quality of programming should remain excellent if not get even better. The BBC also have a vast pool of resources to gleam from in the area for any vacancies from those who do not wish to move 'up north'. The first few years will be turbulent with the 'bedding in' period, but that's normal.
If they don't want to move there are plenty of people here who are probably as skilled and more than willing to do their jobs in Salford.
Jamie
Well, at least the poles got to send some money home during its construction. See, its not all bad.
Never mind the national press, more worrying are the London-centrics within the BBC itself - who "seem determined" that this move will/should fail too??
"we will have to look locally and compromise on editorial"
Says it all really. Londoncentric.
More reasons why the North of England should be devolved from thr greedy South of England. As far as I'm concerned the south is a different country.
Nothing but overpaid stuck up Cockney/Southern ********. Well We don't want you up here. Should just be grateful your still in a job.
Nothing but overpaid Cockney/Southern ********. Good Look Job searching we don't want stuck up people like Gabby and Jeremy Clarkson up here. Good Riddance. More jobs for the local community. The BBC is located in a great location and is bound to be a huge success. Just a change of staff and location won't affect the quality produce.
I think Jeremy Clarkson is narrow minded and we have a lot of rich people in the North like Duke of Westminster owns most of commercial London. Many things happened here first Emmeline Pankhurst, splitting the atom, first railway, music etc. If these people are only interested in London then they should work on local radio or local programmes for the South East. I think we will have less narrow minded people who are happy to work outside South East.
However Manchester needs to improve too, all the litter in the city centre in the evenings drives me mad and makes me ashamed. Oxford Rd. is full of bus fumes, feel sorry for the students walking along there. Moving the Cornerhouse and Library Theatre also very damaging. Howard Bernstein has been a poor leader, bringing a football museum to a city already stereotyped as having nothing else, very bad indeed. No modern art gallery. But Liverpool is proof that the Northwest can be amazing, the World Museum, Tate etc. Manchester needs to be as ambitious as Liverpool.
It must be like a bad dream for those London based journalists and celebs who have been cocooned in the 'warm and cosy' environment that was the BBC in London. To Clarkson and Logan - take it on the chin - nothing is forever - like it used to be when one's own pension was earned with a single company of over 40+ years employment. The nice thing, is that the BBC have made a bold and courageous move out of London and recognised for the first time that the licence fee is indeed paid by people living in places like Oldham, Blackburn, St Helens, Salford and of course, the whole of the north of England. The work force and work ethic and not to mention the innovative talents based in the region will, I can assure Clarkson, pay huge dividends to the BBC's foresight and the enrich networks ultimate success.