MediaCityUK Blog - MediaCity UK News and Rumours, Salford Quays

BBC accused of ‘bribery’ over allowances for MediaCityUK movers

2009-11-09T22:27:00+00:00

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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MediaCityUK round-up: Holiday Inn announced, keys handed over, plus much more!

2009-10-30T00:28:00+00:00

It's been a month since our last update, so you must be desperate for your fix of MediaCity-related news. We won't keep you waiting any longer:

Yesterday it was announced that the 218-bed hotel at MediaCityUK will be a Holiday Inn, complete with bar, restaurant and gym facilities. Andrew Gill, Vice President of Development for IHG (Holiday Inn), said: “Signing the Holiday Inn Manchester MediaCityUK in such a tough economic climate is testament to the strength of the Holiday Inn brand...It’s an ideal location and we’re confident the hotel will be an asset to the development.”

Earlier this month the BBC were given the keys to building C, future home to Radio Five Live, BBC Sport and local and regional news. Channel M was at the handover ceremony, and took the opportunity to question Salford locals on the impact of MediaCity:

BBC presenter Gabby Logan is being tipped to make the move to Salford Quays in 2011, as she is set to host a new daily show on Radio 5 Live. Logan doesn't seem to be directly replacing any other presenter - it's just part of the ongoing shake up of 5Live. More details at the MEN.

Plans for a video game 'development hub' based at MediaCity have been in the news this week, after reports that work could start on the project as early as next summer. The idea was originally discussed in the Digital Britain report, but has since been criticised by those preferring the project be based in Liverpool or Dundee (already home to a number of gaming companies). Crain's currently has a poll about the subject, and (somewhat unsurprisingly) 60% of readers think MediaCity is a better option than Liverpool. Just another thing we can fight about.

Jason Legget, Head of Business Development at MediaCityUK will be speaking at the Creative Industries Networking Group (CING for short) birthday party on 2nd November at Rain Bar in Manchester. Jason will be outlining the current status of developments at MediaCityUK, and sharing his strategy and opportunities for making MediaCityUK a success. We can personally recommend CING as a great meetup for anyone involved in the creative industries (full of friendly people!), so get yourself down there if you're interested.

Finally there are a handful of new BBC positions over at MediaCityUK Jobs - all unfortunately based in London for the time-being, moving to Salford 2011. Still, if you fancy living in the big smoke for a few years, check 'em out.

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45% of BBC staff say yes to MediaCityUK, and more are interested

2009-10-05T22:49:00+00:00

The BBC's final deadline for London-based staff to decide on the MediaCityUK move has now passed - and 45% of rank and file staff have said yes.

That number may look familiar, because it is almost exactly the same percentage who agreed amongst middle managers and executive staff.

As previously mentioned, this is a higher percentage than was expected - as Richard Deverell (Chief Operating Officer BBC North) alludes to: "I would like to thank all staff for their professionalism at this challenging time. The leadership team is delighted with the number and calibre of staff from across the moving departments but appreciate that the move is not right for everyone."

But what about the 55% who said no? The BBC says they will try to 'redeploy' them where possible, but if that fails they will be made redundant when the move finally happens.

In a somewhat unexpected development, it's been revealed that nearly 1,000 other BBC staff members have expressed an interest in relocating to Salford - putting a possible dent in the number of jobs available for local hopefuls. However, How-Do points out that 'expressing an interest' means nothing more than registering for info on the staff intranet... so there's hope yet!

The BBC is expected to initiate a recruitment drive shortly to fill those vacant spaces, so watch this space for further information.

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Weekend round-up: MediaCity goes green, new CBBC Director

2009-09-28T22:04:01+00:00

Last week was full of MediaCity related stories - so much so there's a few things you might have missed... (unless you're following us on twitter or facebook of course!)

Peel announced that MediaCityUK has become the first development in the world to become a BREEAM approved 'sustainable community'. MediaCity will use water from the Manchester Ship Canal to power, heat and cool the buildings - and will reduce Co2 emissions through the use of a combined heat and power system known as Tri-Gen. (More details on that here.)

The announcement further bolsters Peel's green credentials - they are already involved in a number of environmental businesses, from renewable energy to recycling. (source)

The BBC has announced Joe Godwin as the new director of BBC Children's, replacing Richard Deverell, who moves up to be Chief Operating Officer for BBC North at MediaCity. Godwin says, "I can't think of a more exciting challenge, or greater honour, than to lead the brilliant people who make CBeebies and CBBC. The fact that we're soon to become part of BBC North in Salford makes it even more exciting."

BBC Radio 5Live Controller Adrian Van Klaveren has written about the station's move North on the 5 live blog - explaining some of the reasons behind the move and his thoughts about MediaCity following a site visit. You can see some pictures from that visit (in particular 5live's new home in 'Building C') in the slideshow below (or here on flickr).

flickrSLiDR.

The BBC should have received keys to 'Building C' today (Monday 28th Sept), and we have just a few days until we find out what percentage of remaining BBC staff will decide to make the move to Salford. Place your bets now!

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Peel proposes quayside promenade opposite MediaCityUK (Updated)

2009-09-23T16:27:00+00:00

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

2009-09-22T17:27:00+00:00

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

2009-09-16T20:51:00+00:00

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

2009-09-03T21:47:00+00:00

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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New MediaCityUK website and promo videos - ‘ere be monsters!

2009-08-30T20:29:00+00:00

The long-awaited official MediaCityUK website has launched, along with a new promotional video (embedded below) featuring a host of crazy characters.

The new site features a timeline of Salford Quays, with details of the areas transformation from historic docks to futuristic media community.

There is also expanded information about the plans and vision of MediaCityUK, a handy FAQs section, and a dedicated news section for the latest press releases.

Along with the launch of the website comes a series of promo videos - the first of which flies us through MediaCityUK, overrun with various monsters, turtles and hot air balloons. Take a look:

You can see three more mini-promos at the official MediaCityUK channel on YouTube; all short teasers under the same 'MediaCityUK - Take Note' campaign, featuring Bridget, Jeff and Bob the whale. Let us know what you think by adding a comment below.

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MediaCityUK Round-Up: New CTO, new Jobs, videos and a big cake

2009-08-25T20:31:01+00:00

It's been a while since we did a news round-up, so lets get going:

MediaCityUK have appointed Red Bee's Paul Clennell (pictured) as chief technology officer. He is due to take up his new role at MediaCityUK in the autumn. You can see more details at Broadcast.

MediaCityUK have begun searching for a 'Head of Studios' to maintain what will be the UK's largest high definition TV facility. If you fancy the six-figure salary (plus benefits) you can apply here.

A number of other MediaCity-related jobs have come up recently including: An assistant for BBC Future Media & Technology (link); A Leader for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (link); and a Receptionist and a Training Manager for NorthWest Vision & Media (link - soon to be based at MediaCity).

A couple of interesting videos surfaced this week - each embedded below for your enjoyment. The first is a news report from media trainee Natasha Carter, covering the progress of MediaCity and featuring interviews with David Carr (who recently resigned as Director of Operations), Jason Legget (Head of Business Development) and Lynne McCadden (Managing Director, NWV&M).

~~The second is a walk-through of the MediaCityUK site, featuring views of the MediaCity studio block and BBC buildings. For the BBC buildings, skip to around the 1:50 mark:~~

Update:

Finally, Vertikal.net has a nice article about MediaCityUK's 2nd birthday, with a picture of the massive cake that was shared out amongst the 1,500 building contractors. Yum!

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