MediaCityUK Blog - MediaCityUK News and Rumours

By December 11th 2008, the people of Manchester will either approve or reject a Congestion Charge - similar to the one that was introduced in London in 2003.

The Congestion Charge would apply at peak times (7.30am - 9am travelling towards Manchester, 4pm - 6.30pm travelling out), Monday to Friday.

The Charge would then be used to pay for improvements to public transport and roads throughout Greater Manchester (although the charge would only be introduced when at least 80% of these improvements are in operation - according to GMPTE).

So what does all this mean for MediaCityUK? If the Congestion Charge gets approved, we can expect the following changes affecting travel to and from MediaCityUK -

So far so good for MediaCityUK. But it's not all good news...

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A week after Greasley leaves MediaCityUK, NWDA Chairman becomes head of Peel Media

Bryan Gray, the current chairman of the North West Development Agency (responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest) has been appointed as the new chairman of Peel Media, the developers of MediaCityUK.

The NWDA has already contributed £30m to MediaCityUK, and the appointment has raised suspicions of a possible conflict of interests.

John Whittaker, UKIP MEP for the north west, said; "One has to be a little suspicious...Bryan Gray has a place on the NWDA board so he's certainly got influence there. Peel's done terribly well out of this."

Gray will continue in his role as chairman of the NWDA, and along with trying to find a replacement for Brian Greasley as MD, will be attempting to “delivering Peel Media’s vision of making MediaCityUK the largest purpose-built media community in the UK and Europe.”

You can see more details on the MEN, or read How-Do's take.

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Radio 5Live at MediaCityUK - with or without Mayo?

Simon Mayo apparently doesn't want to relocate to Salford when BBC Radio 5Live makes the move to MediaCityUK.

But it's worse (better?) than that - Iain Dale has a list as long as a footlong baguette of 5Live presenters who are also 'unlikely' to reposition themselves - "So what we are looking at is a completely new presenter line-up on the news and current affairs programmes." (!)

It's just the latest in a growing trend of stories about BBC staff who are not entirely happy at the MediaCityUK move. Hopefully this mini-exodus from 5Live will pave the way for some fresh Northern talent...

(In case you were wondering - Simon Mayo will be ok, he is apparently going to replace Ken Bruce on Radio 2, but not until 2011. Goodness knows what will happen to Ken Bruce.)

(via How-Do)

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MediaCityUK Managing Director quits after less than a year; Update: MEN on why Greasley left…

Shocking news! Brian Greasley, MediaCityUK's MD has left his position after less than a year in charge.

He was originally brought in to 'create the vision' for MediaCityUK and take the project forward towards the BBC's arrival in 2011. The reason for his departure is not yet clear, and the statement from Head of Communications Paul Newman is pretty vague - "Over the last 12 months, Brian has done a first class job in setting out the vision for MediaCityUK, and establishing a high quality operational team" and "[Brian is] now looking forward to seeking new challenges..."

The news has not come as a complete shock to everybody - a few commenters on How-Do say it was a long time coming, and in the past Greasley has been criticised for his speaking and presentation style at various events.

Greasley’s responsibilities will be taken over by group managing director of Peel Holdings Andrew Simpson, until a replacement is found. More info at How-Do and the MEN.

Update: The MEN reports that Greasley left because of "...a `mutual realisation' that he was perhaps not the best person to drive the project further forward." An inside source at MediaCityUK told the MEN "He had vision, but there was a feeling that his relationship with big public-sector organisations, including the Salford Regeneration Company, was not close enough, and that he needed to network more with people, an aspect of the job that he appeared not to like."

He goes on to imply that the lack of 'key player' private sector tenants and the failure to attract interest from 'big media hitters' in the United States may also have contributed to Greasley's departure. (full article)

Update #2: Crain's are also covering this story, focusing on the difficulty MediaCityUK faces in attracting tenants given the current economic climate, and now being without a Managing Director. (via SkyScraperCity)

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Major media company relocating to MediaCityUK… but who?

The MediaCityUK rumour mill is in full flow after rumours that a major worldwide media company is about to announce it's move to MediaCityUK.

Currently topping the list are MTV, Sky, CNN, Al Jazeera, ESPN and TV5.

Actual details are slim, but the company is apparently a well known global brand, and we can expect more details within the month. MTV certainly seems to be the current front-runner, so watch this space.

Whoever it is will be joining the BBC, ITV/Granada, Salford Uni and.... QVC. We wrote about MediaCityUK's need to attract big hitters a little earlier in the year.

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MediaCityUK Blog - MediaCityUK News and Rumours

The Congestion Charge - What does it mean for MediaCityUK?

A week after Greasley leaves MediaCityUK, NWDA Chairman becomes head of Peel Media

Radio 5Live at MediaCityUK - with or without Mayo?

MediaCityUK Managing Director quits after less than a year; Update: MEN on why Greasley left…

Major media company relocating to MediaCityUK… but who?

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