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mark occomore
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:43 pm Post subject: BBC Television Centre For Sale |
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The BBC Trust has given the green light to the sale of the corporation's Television Centre building in west London as part of the cost-cutting plan approved today.
At its meeting at Broadcasting House this morning, the trust also asked for a more detailed strategy of the BBC's property portfolio, potentially heralding further sales in the future.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2193174,00.html
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Any offers? |
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gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:36 pm Post subject: Re: BBC Television Centre For Sale |
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| mark occomore wrote: |
Any offers? |
Whatever it takes to get Graham Norton off our screens!
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Absolute madness. It just proves that the BBC as we knew it is long gone, and is run by accountants who have no passion for good broadcasting or the team-work required to obtain it. It's no wonder that all the good people (production, technical, support) have left the corporation. Even Wood Norton is being sold off. |
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Toggy tea slurper
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| R.I.P Auntie Beeb. |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Toggy tea slurper wrote: | | R.I.P Auntie Beeb. |
What??
Just because they are selling off a building that is surplus to requirements?
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Toggy tea slurper
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Why is it surplus to requirements?Is it because nobody will be left at the BBC at this rate. |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Toggy tea slurper wrote: | | Why is it surplus to requirements?Is it because nobody will be left at the BBC at this rate. |
1. Well because they are spending £800m rebuilding Broadcasting House to be a HQ for all news.
2. The studios at TV centre would require £80m refit to bring them up to date.
3. Much of what is in TV centre is moving to Salford.
4. And many shows already use alternative tv studios. HIGNFY & QI are recorded at the London TV Studios on the south bank.
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Toggy tea slurper
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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| gfloyd wrote: |
1. Well because they are spending £800m rebuilding Broadcasting House to be a HQ for all news.
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Another waste of money  |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Toggy tea slurper wrote: | | gfloyd wrote: |
1. Well because they are spending £800m rebuilding Broadcasting House to be a HQ for all news.
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Another waste of money |
Possibly it is costing too much but buildings like this have to be continually upgraded for new technology, HD, etc. If they put tv, radio & internet news reporting in one place they can reduce the number of journalists the need by reducing duplication. Something you have complained about before if I am not mistaken 
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Toggy tea slurper
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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Actually I agree about the duplication of stories but I just hope they don't cut too deep and effect the quality of the output.
Also hope they have the sense to hang on to their good journalists rather than the ones who only want to be 'big stars'. |
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mark occomore
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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It cost millions to build Western House and add new technology to Radio 2. I suppose the BBC couldn't have for seen the future when all these buildings were built? I still feel sorry for some staff seeing all this being built around them and now they are going to get the chop.
True it does look like it's been run as a private company. I do think some of it should be privatised? Shows like Eastenders should have paid advertisements at the beginning and end to bring in some of the shortfall they have lost? ( Only an idea for the future )
Last edited by mark occomore on Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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I believe that what the BBC wants to do is sell the property as an asset and then lease it back. A kind of "selling the family silver" in order to make short gains.
By the way, the upgrade of Broadcasting House was deperately needed. After the cancellation of the White City Radio Centre (on the site of the old White Stadium on which the "BBC White City" complex is now built and which houses the news block) they had to look again at how to keep radio at BH.
| mark occomore wrote: | | True it does look like it's been run as a private company. I do think some of it should be privatised? Shows like Eastenders should have paid advertisements at the beginning and end to bring in some of the shortfall they have lost? ( Only an idea for the future ) |
Mark, parts of the BBC have long since been privatised (it started during Fuhrer Thatcher's time). That's part of the problem.
Last edited by firewirefred on Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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mark occomore
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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Thompson said 'he would generate more jobs as digital moves forward. Now they are cutting jobs. It doesn't make sense or add up.
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Toggy tea slurper
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't think he knows his @rse from his elbow at the moment. |
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Toggy tea slurper wrote: | | I don't think he knows his @rse from his elbow at the moment. |
He's just the fontman for a corporation that's frightened to look in any direction at the moment. The BBC Trust is a joke and with politicians breathing down its neck (moreso since the Hutton affair) they're running scared and desperate to appease everyone. |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| firewirefred wrote: | | I believe that what the BBC wants to do is sell the property as an asset and then lease it back. A kind of "selling the family silver" in order to make short gains. |
No they want to lease it back until 2012 or 2013 when they move out. Why should they keep a building they dont honestly need? That is the definition of waste IMO.
A building in west London in not family silver. Its a 1960's building that is rundown now.
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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| gfloyd wrote: | | No they want to lease it back until 2012 or 2013 when they move out. Why should they keep a building they dont honestly need? That is the definition of waste IMO. |
It is needed. Very much so.
| gfloyd wrote: | | A building in west London in not family silver. Its a 1960's building that is rundown now. |
No it is not. It's probably the most technologically advanced broadcasting centre in the world - and certainly in Europe. It's in surprisingly good nick given that it was built in 1964, but the studios and other technical facilities (and even the production areas) bear no resemblance to the studios of the 1960s. You won't see many 2" Quad VTRs or Marconi Mk3 cameras there today. |
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject: Re: BBC Television Centre For Sale |
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| mark occomore wrote: | | The BBC Trust has given the green light to the sale of the corporation's Television Centre building in west London as part of the cost-cutting plan approved today. |
Actually, Mark, the story is:
"The trust also backed "in principle" the sale of Television Centre, the corporation's studio and office complex in Shepherd's Bush, west London."
The words "in principle" are the key ones there - your subject line is therefore inaccurate. Yet again! |
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mark occomore
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:20 am Post subject: Re: BBC Television Centre For Sale |
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| firewirefred wrote: | | mark occomore wrote: | | The BBC Trust has given the green light to the sale of the corporation's Television Centre building in west London as part of the cost-cutting plan approved today. |
Actually, Mark, the story is:
"The trust also backed "in principle" the sale of Television Centre, the corporation's studio and office complex in Shepherd's Bush, west London."
The words "in principle" are the key ones there - your subject line is therefore inaccurate. Yet again! |
Media Guardian quoted it. So you can't blame me.
BBC is finished now. It will be privatised in the next 10 years or seeing advertising on TV and Radio. |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:50 am Post subject: |
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| firewirefred wrote: |
No it is not. It's probably the most technologically advanced broadcasting centre in the world - and certainly in Europe. It's in surprisingly good nick given that it was built in 1964, but the studios and other technical facilities (and even the production areas) bear no resemblance to the studios of the 1960s. You won't see many 2" Quad VTRs or Marconi Mk3 cameras there today. |
Still has all of the 1960's abestos, the roof leaks in drama the block and needs to be completely recabled. With sport & children moving to Manchester, News to broadcasting house, all that will be left will be Paul O'Grady & Graham Norton.  Although I think Nortons show is recorded @ ITV London Studios on the South Bank
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:36 am Post subject: Re: BBC Television Centre For Sale |
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| mark occomore wrote: | | Media Guardian quoted it. So you can't blame me. |
You re-quoted it without question.
| mark occomore wrote: | | BBC is finished now. It will be privatised in the next 10 years or seeing advertising on TV and Radio. |
It isn't finished, it will just take on a slightly different role.
And, as for funding Tv and radio byspot advertising and/or sponsorship, that won't happen because there's not enough advertising spend in the commercial pot. Agencies aren't buying ad slots like they used because there are more effective ways of using their clients' money - as ITV has found to its cost. |
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| gfloyd wrote: | | Still has all of the 1960's abestos, the roof leaks in drama the block and needs to be completely recabled. With sport & children moving to Manchester, News to broadcasting house, all that will be left will be Paul O'Grady & Graham Norton. Although I think Nortons show is recorded @ ITV London Studios on the South Bank |
You qustioned the useability of Television Centre as a whole. Structurally, it certainly has parts that are in need of repair - but there's nothing unique about that. However, I still maintain that it contains state-of-the-art digital producton technology and is therefore one of the world's most advanced and best-equipped broadcasting centres. You only have to look inside TC1 (the largest TV studio in Europe) to see that.
However, the focus of television production has been moving away from TV studio-based production for a long time now - very rarely is drama recorded in TV studios. It's more likely to be shot single-camera on location or on film stages. Even drama series like Casualty/Holby are shot single camera in converted warehouses, etc., so the days of TV studios are certainly numbered for all but news/factual programming and also for higher-budget live entertainment shows.
I do also appreciate that for news and current affairs there's no longer the requirement for a whole string of people - from camera crews to production assistants to VT editors, sound dubbing mixers, etc to be involved in putting together a package for insert into a news programme or current affairs programme like Newsnight, because today news journalists can "hot desk" anywhere on the BBC intranet and pull up scripts, research notes, video and audio source material from wherever they are and work on them. News inserts today are filed to a central server and are playlisted by the programme editor for inclusion in a programme or bulletin. So I can understand that there's no need for the good old "BBC VT" department down in the infamous "basement" under the statue of Ariel - that went long ago, along with many VT engineers and editors.
I'm not really a fan of such multi-skilling though - a rookie reporter might be able to string a good line of copy together (although even then that's not always the case these days) but he/she might not a good video editor make. You have to lern this stuff properly - and at one time the BBC used to teach it properly - down at Evesham or up at Elstree. It doesn't any more.
However, many parts of TV centre have been completely refurbished over recent years, and the completion of White City, on the north wing, have complemented some superb resources and production office space. And the location is ideal for so many things.
I think the planned moved by many departments (and people) to Salford is utterly ridiculous, and is only a sop to those who can't understand why the core of the BBC's operation is in London. It's a politically-correct move to keep the regionalists happy and nothing more. It just isn't practical, long term.
One sure fact is that many of those BBC staff who are being asked to re-locate aren't happy about the move (London is a major hub of broadcasting and media operations throughout theworld, like it or not) and if I were asked to move to Mnchester I'd tell them to get stuffed. Still, being completely independent I don't have to - but I feel sorry for those people still on the inside who have become the victims of all this political meddling and bureaucratic incompetence right from the top down.
Pity, but that's life, and life must move on I guess. There's always satellite - much of which is produced by the BBC anyhow (is that not the irony?). |
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mark occomore
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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I think some people need to get their heads out of the clouds. The scandal at ITV will blow over, but what is going on at the Beeb wont.
Thompson can't keep saying he's going to get rid of staff then generate more for the digital age. BBC trust are only doing what the government are telling them. It still wont reduce our TV licence, so the only way out is to start to generate more money by advertising in some way or another? This was story some while back on the Jeremy Vine show, and I think he's got it right!! |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| mark occomore wrote: | I think some people need to get their heads out of the clouds. The scandal at ITV will blow over, but what is going on at the Beeb wont.
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They could learn to live within their means like the rest of us.
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Toggy tea slurper
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| mark occomore wrote: | I think some people need to get their heads out of the clouds. The scandal at ITV will blow over, but what is going on at the Beeb wont.
Thompson can't keep saying he's going to get rid of staff |
Who has their head in the clouds?
Thompson can do exactly what he likes, and sadly for those collecting P45s he will do exactly what he likes. |
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firewirefred
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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| mark occomore wrote: | | Thompson can't keep saying he's going to get rid of staff then generate more for the digital age. |
Why? If you had an old-fashioned typesetting business that used Linotype metal setting and you decided to close down and lay off 5 people who could do nothing else, and then start up a business which required 2 people who could use QuarkXP or InDesign, you'd need to employ people with those skills.
That's what Thompson is effectively talking about. I don't say I agree with him, but that's what he's saying.
| mark occomore wrote: | | BBC trust are only doing what the government are telling them. |
No it isn't.
| mark occomore wrote: | | It still wont reduce our TV licence, so the only way out is to start to generate more money by advertising in some way or another? This was story some while back on the Jeremy Vine show, and I think he's got it right!! |
Absolute rubbish. If there's so much advertising revenue in the pot how come the commercial TV channels (and particularly the ITV networks) have been having such a hard time selling airtime? Why have they had to resort to sponsorship deals? How come they're reliant on phone and text input at premium rates?
The truth is that television as we know it is changing - and the traditional 50 year old model of commercial Tv funding ain't what it used to be an age of the web, Google Adsense, etc. Adsense and other PPC programs on the web are in general a much more effective ad spend than TV - so there isn't really a potential source of income for the BBC without it at least putting other networks out of business - cos there ain't enough to go round!
And I disagree with it in principle anyhow. Thatcher said we should have "choice". Right. I have the right to a choice of a commercial-free public service broadcaster - and that's the BBC. Not quite what Thatcher had in mind though! |
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gfloyd
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:30 am Post subject: |
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For those still whailing about the end of the BBC as we know it, etc, etc it is worth remembering that all the current & proposed redundancies put together will merely return staff numbers roughly to where they were in year 2000.
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