MediaCityUK round-up: No Mayo, Illegal workers and an Olympic kerfuffle
posted Sep 17, 2009 - 02:51 AM
A quick round-up of MediaCity news from the past few weeks, with contributions from guest author Stephanie Redmond of Creative News.
Mayo moves on
It's been a long time coming, but Simon Mayo has finally decided that Salford is not for him. Mayo will replace Chris Evans on Radio 2, as part of a wider game of BBC musical chairs prompted by Sir Terry's resignation.
Mark Radcliffe and Richard Bacon are just two possible Mayo replacements, so maybe a re-shuffle - teamed with new talent - is just what the BBC needs.
(You can see Mayo make the announcement (and read listeners' reactions) on the 5live blog. - Ed.)
Sun questions BBC's timing
Next on this week's agenda is some BBC bashing by The Sun - a paper owned by Rupert Murdoch, a man with a few sour grapes in his fruit bowl. (Presumably because he doesn’t own the BBC, making him one step further away from world domination.)
The problem for The Sun is the timing of the MediaCity move - BBC Sport will be upping sticks a year before the 2012 London Olympics - costing the license payer a reported cheeky £3 million. The BBC have defended the schedule, stating the Olympics are a mere two weeks long, whereas MediaCityUK is part of a much bigger picture. A move is for life, not just for the Olympics.
(Ian Wylie at the MEN has a good response to this story on his blog. - Ed.)
Illegal workers on site
MediaCityUK was the focus of a swoop by immigration officials this week, as eight men were arrested on suspicion of working illegally at the construction site. The operation went ahead with the co-operation of the construction company, who will face no further action over the arrests.
Apparently this is the second time illegal workers have been discovered at the development. You can see more details on the BBC website.
Other notable mentions this week:
- Times Higher Education has an interesting interview with Salford Uni's new VC, Martin Hall. Professor Hall thinks their expansion to MediaCity will result in great ideas being generated, as young go-getters rub shoulders with leading broadcasters.
- Some fantastic new aerial shots of MediaCityUK over at SkyScraperCity, showing how the development is coming along in the wider context of Salford Quays.
That's all for this week...don't forget you can follow our daily updates via twitter and on our facebook page.
| | Add A Comment (0) | Subscribe To MediaCityUK Blog
Most Recent Stories...
0 Comments so far
« back to homepage
I've just fixed the commenting system on the blog, which appears to have been malfunctioning for the past month or so. Apologies to anyone who has posted recently without any success, please do post again if you can be bothered! Jun 09, 2009 - 04:16 AM
CBBC are looking for new drama writers - if you fancy a future job at MediaCityUK check it out - http://bit.ly/10wvA0 May 21, 2009 - 01:14 AM
Not a lot of MediaCityUK news to report since the ITV bombshell, except perhaps this article from the FT about the positive impact MediaCityUK is likely to have on Salford and the surrounding areas. The article also provides a quick introduction to the local housing market - useful if you're looking at relocating to Salford. Mar 26, 2009 - 11:04 PM
Debate about the BBC's staff relocation packages continues to rumble on and on - Liz Hunt at the Telegraph says, "I can't be the only taxpayer with northern credentials who feels insulted by the implication that having to up sticks from the South East is akin to an enforced relocation to Mogadishu or Harare." (full article here). Meanwhile, Andy Spinoza at How-Do offers some relocation advice to BBC staff - "Some media people will find the value, community, and friendliness on offer in the likes of Monton and Eccles more appealing than the fancy nick-nack shops of Didsbury..." (full article here). Mar 13, 2009 - 12:22 AM
The Manyoo apartment towers in Salford Quays will be built, despite one of the developers behind it going into administration, reports the MEN. Manyoo will have 1,036 apartments over four towers that will `quite literally change the skyline of Salford Quays'. Mar 04, 2009 - 07:04 AM
« SideBlog Archive