Media City Fry-Up, bumber July edition: Breakfast in Salford and yet more jobs…
posted Thu 15th Jul, 2010
If you haven't been following us on twitter or facebook (and why not?) you may have missed a busy week for MediaCityUK news.
- First off, the BBC has announced it's intention to relocate BBC Breakfast to MediaCityUK, Salford Quays. The story began as a strong rumour we picked up on twitter, followed by much speculation and generally negative responses from the national media.
The BBC moved quickly, and by Wednesday the move was officially announced. Helen Boaden, Director, BBC News, said: "BBC Breakfast is the most watched breakfast programme in the UK and loved by millions. It has a fantastic connection with audiences across the UK and we want to build on that."
Peter Salmon, director of BBC North said, "The move of Breakfast is especially symbolic as it is the first time a BBC Network News programme will come from outside London – a real vote of confidence in our new enterprise."
An attempt to create a full english Breakfast, if you like.
The move means that more than three hours a day of live BBC One output will now come from MediaCity, and around 88 roles across BBC Breakfast and operational posts are expected to relocate. It is yet to be seen how many current Breakfast staff will make the move.
You can read more details straight from the horses mouth. - Riding high on the wave of such an earth-shattering announcement, the BBC then surprised us all by announcing yet more jobs were heading to Media City, namely 43 positions from Marketing, Communications & Audiences and 75 from Future Media & Technology.
The BBC's Director of Future Media and Technology, Erik Huggers, said: "Just as Broadcasting House is associated with the rise of radio, and Television Centre with TV, I believe that MediaCity will become the BBC's centre for the internet age.
"Moving our connected TV and mobile product teams north, together with a core part of BBC Online, is very much part of realising this vision."
It was also announced that an additional two comedy shows will be commissioned by BBC North at MediaCity by 2012/13.
Sinead Greenaway, CEO at Peel Media (developers of MediaCityUK) reacted positively to this tidal wave of news - "We at Peel Media are delighted...This news is testimony to the BBC's commitment to make their new home here at MediaCityUK a success."
Again, you can read more details from the beeb itself.
How's that for a round-up? But wait, there's more! (I'll do these as one liners, I know you're busy)
- Salford Uni has announced the appointment of Jon Corner, founder of Liverpool based production house River Media, as their new MediaCityUK Director - replacing John Holland. More details here.
- Mammoth Graphics, who produce graphics for the BBC, ITV and Sky amongst others, have opened an office within The Pie Factory, MediaCityUK; their first base outside London. More details at How-Do.
- The Reverend Hayley Matthews has been named as chaplain to MediaCityUK by the Church of England. More from the BBC.
- Peter Salmon (Director, BBC North) has made it to no.84 in the Guardian's 100 most powerful people in media. Presumably after this week's announcements he'll be popping up a little higher next year.
- Peel Media is looking to fill a handful of new Technology and Studio-based roles at MediaCity - click here for the full list.
..so a busy couple of weeks overall, and still over a year to go before it's all truly up and running!
Be sure to follow our highly recommended twitter feed for all the late breaking MediaCity news...
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Rugby Football League considers move to MediaCityUK
posted Tue 05th Jan, 2010 - 03:12 AM
The Rugby Football League (RFL) is considering a permanent presence at MediaCityUK for their PR and Communications teams.
The RFL (which administers the National Rugby League Team, Challenge Cup, National Leagues and Super League) is planning the move to take advantage of the relocation of BBC Sport to Salford Quays, which takes place next year.
Speaking to the Rugby League Express, Chief Executive Nigel Wood said, "We are currently exploring the opportunity of taking a permanent office within the new Media City at Salford Quays for our PR and communications team. With the BBC set to move north in 2011 we are one of the few sporting governing bodies in a position to have a presence there..."
"...The BBC's move presents a superb opportunity for Rugby League. Having so many influential journalists living in the Rugby League heartland will ensure that they, too, are immersed in the weekly excitement that our competition brings."
Meanwhile, it was today reported that of the BBC departments asked to relocate to Salford, the BBC Sports staff were the most enthusiastic - with 58% saying yes. (Radio 5Live a close second with 56%, and BBC Learning, Marketing and Technology lagging behind with just 26%).
Both announcements will be a boost to MediaCityUK's sporting ambitions... and could encourage other sports bodies and organisations to consider the benefits of a base at Salford Quays.
H/T: The Guardian
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MediaCityUK Round-Up: end of 2009 edition
posted Mon 21st Dec, 2009 - 03:57 AM
Well here it is folks - the final MediaCityUK round-up of 2009.
As we head into 2010 there's an awful lot of cash being committed to projects at MediaCity - allow me to draw your attention to a few examples:
- Over £8m towards MediaCityUK's MEC (Media Enterprise Centre - see here for a map), from the European Regional Development Fund and the North West Regional Development Agency. That money will contribute towards a research hub led by Salford Uni (more details here), a 'Digital Content Lab' and the 'Make Media Centre' - a project to help local community groups take advantage of digital media.
Steven Broomhead of the NWDA says, "We know that MediaCityUK will be a site of global importance in the digital and creative sector and the initiatives based within the MEC will make it a bustling centre of the latest digital and creative thinking." More details at How-Do. - £1m from the government's Strategic Investment Fund designated to a national 'centre of excellence' for the games industry based at MediaCity (last mentioned in October). The centre will be based in the MEC, and is intended to drive creativity, innovation, product development and skills in the UK games industry. More details at Develop.
- A £15m high speed digital network ('NorthernNet') to help connect the creative industries across the North of England. The project is funded by the North West Development Agency(again) and Northern Way, and will apparently play a 'key role' in the delivery of the BBC @North project. (reaching out to digital producers and agencies across the north in a link up with BBC Children's – moving to Salford in 2011).
With me so far? good. Here's a few extra MediaCityUK-related news items that you might have missed...
- BT have been awarded a five-year contract to build the fibre-optic-based communications infrastructure at MediaCityUK. The network will contain more than 20 million metres of optical fibre, with connection speeds of up to 10Gbps. More details at ZDnet.
- Acting agency MTM Associates has taken space at the Quay West Business Centre in Salford Quays, to be closer to the action when MediaCityUK opens for business. (Crain's).
- Broadcast systems firm TSL is going to open a new office at the Pie Factory, MediaCity. David Phillips, MD, said, "This new office is demonstrable evidence of our commitment, not just to the MediaCityUK development but to the expanding broadcast and production work that will emanate from this world-class facility." (How-Do).
- MediaCityUK have posted some recent photos of the site on their new official flickr feed - flickr.com/creatingacity, and have a new CGI image as the background of their official twitter - @creatingacity.
So that's about it for the naughties...but as we speed into 2010 there's still one big question - who's gonna be next to sign up? We start 2010 much like 2009 - the BBC and Salford Uni all signed up, but as yet no major commercial tenant.
Perhaps this will be the year ITV joins the party (though that currently looks pretty unlikely) - but with the BBC making a big recruitment push next year and the development nearing completion, hopefully it won't be long before we've got some big hitters to report on.
Finally, thanks to everyone who's read, replied, commented, emailed, tweeted or re-tweeted anything on the blog this year. Hopefully you've found something useful or valuable here...and we've got some improvements planned for the new year, so watch this space. (If you have any comments or suggestions you can contact me directly at michael@mediacityblog.com.)
Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Decade!
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New Blue Peter garden found, on the roof of MediaCityUK Studios
posted Mon 23rd Nov, 2009 - 01:33 AM | 2 comments
The new home of the Blue Peter garden in Salford Quays has been spotted, up on the roof of the MediaCityUK Studios block.
The location was pointed out on a planning document over at the MediaCity thread on SkyscraperCity.
The new garden is tucked around the corner from the main piazza, and presumably will only be viewable from adjacent offices and apartments (quite a unique selling point if you're a big Blue Peter fan).
You can see the new location on the image below, or the planning document right here.
Back in July it was reported that the Blue Peter garden was to be replaced with a virtual version, but that was quickly denied by the BBC. Unfortunately, the remains of George the tortoise (the only Blue Peter pet buried in the garden) won't be making the move North.
(thanks to CDX at skyscrapercity for the spot!)
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BBC accused of ‘bribery’ over allowances for MediaCityUK movers
posted Tue 10th Nov, 2009 - 04:27 AM | 2 comments
This week the shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt accused the BBC of 'bribing' staff to make the move to Salford Quays.
He was referring to the issue of London 'weighting' allowances (up to £4k a year), which BBC staff relocating from London to MediaCityUK will continue to be paid for the remainder of their careers.
Hunt said, "For the BBC to be using licence-fee payers’ money in this way beggars belief. Money should be spent on producing great programmes, not bribing people who want to stay in London to move to Salford."
The BBC has defended itself, saying it is "common practice" for employees to keep weightings when relocating out of the capital and that, "It would be unreasonable to expect staff to take a reduction in earnings as part of this process." (more at the Times).
The issue has prompted comments galore at the Times and How-Do, and the Salford Star has labeled it an 'apartheid wage system' that prefers London staff to new recruits.
It doesn't really matter how the BBC tries to justify it's various relocation incentives - in the middle of a recession these allowances are never going to go down well. And with a Conservative government breathing down it's neck, chances are we'll see less of these generous packages in the future (though probably no less media coverage).
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In some not-entirely-unrelated news, here's a cool little video from some Salford youngsters who visited MediaCityUK recently (featuring a very relaxed looking Peter Salmon):
Hopefully by the time these kids land jobs at MediaCity that £4k a year won't seem like such a big deal.
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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 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
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 19, 2009 - 02:54 AM
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 - 11:09 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 - 11:00 PM
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