MediaCity Round-Up: Mandy visits Salford, a bigger Children’s budget and more jobs…
posted Tue 16th Mar, 2010 | 1 comment
Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson visited MediaCityUK last week as part of a visit to Manchester that included a speech at the University and the opening of a welding school in Salford.
Mandelson got a brief tour of the site, accompanied by Chairman of Peel Media Bryan Gray, and John Whittaker, Chairman of the Peel Group. The Salford Star managed to grab an interview with the man himself about MediaCity, which is well worth the read.
In other news:
- Crain's reports that BBC Children's (moving to MediaCity as part of the Salford move) will have an extra £10m in it's annual budget from 2013 - following the closure of 6music and the Asian Network (full article here). The proposed cuts have sparked much debate amongst listeners and BBC staff, not least on our own facebook page.
- How-Do says the BBC will now move the entire Learning Department to Salford, meaning an additional 32 posts at MediaCityUK. The BBC Learning Controller Saul Nassé said, "I can think of nowhere better for Learning to spend its future than as part of BBC North at MediaCityUK". Full article at How-Do.
- In another positive note for MediaCity, media consultancy firm K7Media has led a 'fact-finding mission' about MediaCityUK for CBS Paramount that received an "exceptionally positive" response, says How-Do. K7Media will be showing more international broadcasters around the site shortly, and their MD Keri Lewis Brown said, "The Salford development is, without question, attracting world interest to our region." Full article at How-Do.
- The Radio Academy has announced that the 2010 Radio Festival will take place in Salford Quays. Representatives of Global Radio, Bauer Radio, GMG Radio, Absolute Radio and the BBC are all on the committee for the festival, which takes place between the 18th and 20th October. More details at Radio Today.
- Luvthecity have an interview with local photographer Mark Whitfield, who has chronicled the construction of MediaCityUK with over 12,000 photos and maintains the MediaCity photographic timeline (Those are Mark's flickr photos on our homepage). Head over to Luvthecity for the full article.
That's all for now folks. For up to date MediaCity news and rumours, you can follow us on twitter or join our happening facebook fan page.
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Peel proposes quayside promenade opposite MediaCityUK (Updated)
posted Wed 23rd Sep, 2009 - 04:27 PM
Update: The Imperial War Museum have told us that their previous exterior plans (mentioned below) are now being combined with the proposed promenade, and they will be re-thinking designs for the remaining areas in light of this (should the promenade get planning permission).
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MediaCityUK developer Peel have applied to Trafford Council for permission to construct a pedestrian promenade and public realm area in front of the Imperial War Museum North.
This would extend the existing Trafford canalside promenade to the new foot bridge currently being built as part of Phase 1 of MediaCityUK (which will link MediaCityUK to the Trafford sides of The Quays - expected to eventually become the new home of ITV).
The promenade would create a walking circuit, taking in the MediaCityUK piazza, The Lowry and Imperial War Museum North.
The promenade is part of the Irwell City Park project which is being co-ordinated by Central Salford. Irwell City Park will link The Quays with central Manchester along a new pedestrian and cycle-friendly waterside route. It is hoped the proposed promenade and City Park project would encourage people to see Salford Quays and MediaCityUK as a visitor destination.
In June this year new exterior plans were announced for the Imperial War Museum North - including a new landscaped garden, children’s play area and a water sculpture. The first stage of those plans (due for the opening of MediaCity in 2011) has now been combined with this new proposed quayside walkway for which planning permission is currently being sought. IWMN will then be rethinking the designs for its remaining areas in light of this first phase, should it be successful.
You can see another picture of the proposed promenade after the jump.
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Saul Nassé is new Controller of BBC Learning
posted Tue 22nd Sep, 2009 - 05:27 PM
photo: BBC
Saul Nassé (pictured) has been appointed as the new Controller of BBC Learning, replacing previous Controller Liz Cleaver who decided not to make the move to MediaCity earlier this year.
Saul is currently based in Mumbai where he has been General Manager and Creative Head of BBC Worldwide Productions India since 2007, and it is hoped his international experience will be an asset in establishing MediaCityUK as a global centre of excellence for the media industry.
Saul says: "I'm thrilled to have been asked to lead Learning at a time ripe with opportunity...I'm delighted to be part of the move to BBC North, which offers a great chance to reinvent the way we work and build new partnerships."
The deadline for the remaining BBC staff to decide on the move North is the end of this month (September '09), and if the recent trend is anything to go by there may be very few BBC vacancies for local talent come 2011. Despite this, the BBC is said to planning a recruitment drive for BBC North beginning November 09, so watch this space.
As How-Do points out, it was also announced today that BBC Childrens (which will also be making the move to Salford Quays) will recieve a minimum £25m increase in investment across the next 3 years. More details on that story at the BBC.
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MediaCityUK round-up: No Mayo, Illegal workers and an Olympic kerfuffle
posted Wed 16th Sep, 2009 - 08:51 PM
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. Who knows, they may fill the vacancies through judging candidates on personal merit, instead of who your Daddy is. As without an inside connection it is easier to become the president of the Freemasons than to acquire a cleaning job at the BBC.
(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.
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Booths set to be first MediaCity retailer
posted Thu 03rd Sep, 2009 - 09:47 PM
Award-winning north west food store Booths looks set to become MediaCityUK's first retailer, once planning permission is granted.
Peel Media has submitted an application to extend a unit under MediaCityUK’s multi-storey car park so that it can become a Booths in 2011. Booths already operates at 26 locations around the north of England, but the MediaCityUK store will be the first in Greater Manchester.
It seems to have been a good choice, (welcomed on twitter at least) but what other stores would people like to see?
A quick twitter survey included responses such as: Greggs, Subway, Wagamama, Nandos, Pret a Manger, Fortnum and Mason and Krispy Kreme. Oh and "A reasonably-priced bar (NOT a swanky wine bar)"
Let us know what names you'd like to see at MediaCityUK - and who knows what could happen!
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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 08, 2009 - 10:16 PM
CBBC are looking for new drama writers - if you fancy a future job at MediaCityUK check it out - http://bit.ly/10wvA0 May 20, 2009 - 07:14 PM
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 - 06:04 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 12, 2009 - 07:22 PM
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 - 01:04 AM
Interesting article over at The Life of Wylie about the problems piling up for ITV; chief amongst them the need to make a decision about selling the Manchester site in Quay Street and moving to MediaCityUK, Salford. (via SalfordQuays.org) Feb 18, 2009 - 08:54 PM
Former journalist Aziz Rashid has been announced as the new head of BBC North West - "we have an exciting future ahead with our move to Salford Quays in 2011." (full article at the MEN) Feb 17, 2009 - 05:09 PM
The Guardian has a short article about some of the problems facing HBOS, one of which (according to the Guardian) is their £350m backing of MediaCityUK. (via SalfordQuays.org) Feb 17, 2009 - 05:00 PM
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