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Television Centre Sold

 
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mark occomore



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 9955
Location: UK

PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:07 pm    Post subject: Television Centre Sold Reply with quote

The BBC has sold its landmark Television Centre in west London for about £200 million.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18854839

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hvrCex4deRqgcZmAjB2JjgmchlIg?docId=B40046281342441056A00002

Very sad for those who have worked there. It's similar to when Pebble Mill was sold.
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ColinB
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Television Centre Sold Reply with quote

mark occomore wrote:
Very sad for those who have worked there. It's similar to when Pebble Mill was sold.


It's nothing like it. Pebble Mill was a white elephant even before it was complete and many BBC employees didn't like working there. Lots of production teams were based in places like Kensington House in West London yet had to travel to Pebble Mill on VT days in order to record their shows. They hated it. The place was created in order to give the impression that the BBC wasn't London-centric, but it failed.

TVC, on the other hand, has been a complex with a real heart where some of television's best loved programming has originated and the vast majority of staff who spent time there loved the place. The reason it has been emptied of every last vestige of humanity is because gutless management has allowed meddling, clueless politicians to meddle with the BBC over and beyond what is reasonable. It's also due to a highly questionable policy of devolving mainstream production away from London into trendy "media centres" - the exact opposite of what made TVC so successful as a production hub.

And Pebble Mill wasn't sold - it was demolished, and the site itself was sold. Best thing for it!
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FleetingEileenM



Joined: 30 Mar 2010
Posts: 5784
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Television Centre Sold Reply with quote

ColinB wrote:

TVC, on the other hand, has been a complex with a real heart where some of television's best loved programming has originated and the vast majority of staff who spent time there loved the place. The reason it has been emptied of every last vestige of humanity is because gutless management has allowed meddling, clueless politicians to meddle with the BBC over and beyond what is reasonable. It's also due to a highly questionable policy of devolving mainstream production away from London into trendy "media centres" - the exact opposite of what made TVC so successful as a production hub.

Yes I absolutely agree Colin. Although I was never based there, as a staff member in the 1960s/70s I used to go there a lot when security was less tight and have a good wander, looking down into the studios from the observation rooms, meeting up with colleagues in the Club, spending days at studio rehearsals for shows I had done some work for etc. I loved the atmosphere of the place and felt proud to be a small part of it.
Of course the majority of the employees in those days were established staff rather than on short term contract. It makes a difference.


Last edited by FleetingEileenM on Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
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ColinB
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Television Centre Sold Reply with quote

FleetingEileenM wrote:
Of course the majority of the employees in those days were established staff rather that on short term contract. It makes a difference.


It does indeed. I knew quite few BBC technical staff over the years and it was something very special to work for the BBC. For several decades, the BBC Engineering Training Centre at Wood Norton (Evesham) produced the very cream of TV and radio technicians and operators, and even that place was special. What contributed to the successful creation of so many classic BBC productions was the very real family atmosphere that existed at TVC - something that actually radiated out to the regions, too.

I don't know one person who is a staffer at the Beeb any more - but I know lots of people who "used to work for the BBC" (their most-used expression). It's a real shame, because a lot of these people have now left the industry altogether.

What's worse, is that the changes have produced a very real drop in standards - both technical and creative. I was watching a Panorama a while back and was appalled at how the video was overexposed (probably shot by a single cameraman/director/soundman/ producer/gofer) and the sound was slightly overmodulated. Nobody seemed to care.

It's sad to see TVC closed down, but it's even sadder to see all that talent go to waste in favour of people who just don't seem to care!
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