A Bad Move by the BBC?
It has now been confirmed that the BBC is moving its flagship BBC Breakfast program to Salford Quays in Manchester.
It has also been reported that some of the presenters and broadcasting staff are not that happy.
I don’t think I am either, as will some of the more interesting guests bother to go up to Manchester, when they can get as much publicity by sitting on the sofa at GMTV in London? I will still probably watch the BBC, as I’m allergic to adverts.
To illustrate this problem this morning, where the Pakistan floods are dominating the news, they called in a representative of the charity, World Vision, which is based in Milton Keynes, who talked with great knowledge about the problem. Would they get the same quality of expert in Manchester, especially as most charities seem to be south-east based? It is also the day when many of the major banks are reporting. This would have to be an outside broadcast no doubt.
It is a bad move, especially as the guy in charge of it won’t be moving.
I actually think that if the BBC Breakfast program suffers badly in quality because of the move North, then there would be a gap for a high-quality, serious news program based in London, probably paid for by some means like a subscription.
The Anonymous Widower 
BBC Breakfast has deterioriated over the years and now I find that Radio 4 is less annoying in the mornings (apart from John Humphrys’ annoying habit of not letting an interviewee get a word in edgewas).
Why can’t we have straightforward news, discussion and analysis in the mornings?
Comment by John Wright | August 2, 2010 |
My problem is that I’m slightly deaf and prefer pictures, but always without adverts.
Comment by AnonW | August 2, 2010 |
I cannot agree with you here. Not all interesting people are in or near London, indeed Manchester/Cheshire/Lancashire area has a great many people of interests – not just “celebs” and footballers, by the way.
And for people in Midlands, coming North is as easy as going South. It also more accessible from Scotland, a large part of Wales, and Ireland – Salford from Manchester Airport is quick and easy.
Certainly there is no shortage of interesting people on local BBC television, and not all of them are local.
I live up here, and
Comment by Liz P | August 2, 2010 |
Also take this morning they had that young violinist who is appearing in the Proms tonight. She would obviously have to be in London for rehearsals and things, so if they were in Manchester, she wouldn’t have been able to appear.
We also get the same problem here in East Anglia. I am in West Suffolk, but most of the local news is not relevant as it is for other parts of the region. When it comes to sport, I’m considered to be either Norwich or Cambridge, not Ipswich, who are my team. So the highlights are never shown, unless I change transmitter, which I can’t do.
I suspect that with BBC Sport going to Manchester, we’ll get much more football from the teams up there and less things like athletics, which has been so good to watch over the last few days.
Comment by AnonW | August 2, 2010 |
Manchester has good sporting facilities as a result of Commonwealth games, and plus places such as Velodrome, which was around before that. We are very handy for Don Valley, and of course we have top Rugby League Clubs in the area as well.
I believe it is good for Britain as a whole to move some things away from London and the south. When I was working and organising national events, I used to get very cross when delegates from London would ask why an event was in Manchester and not London!
Comment by Liz P | August 2, 2010 |
Having spent so much time in Liverpool, I really do find Manchester rather boring, as it doesn’t have the architecture and atmosphere that its rival does. But also there is the shadow of my son’s death over the city, as he was living there when he became ill with pancreatic cancer.
Comment by AnonW | August 2, 2010 |
I can understand why there is a shadow over Manchester for you. Having grown up in St Helens, just outside Liverpool, and having now lived in Manchester for over 20 years, I think Manchester has caught up with Liverpool. I have no interest in or real knowledge of architecture, I cant comment on that, but certainly with places such Lowry, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Central Exhibition Centres, various excellent comedy venues, there are great opportunities for enjoying the arts. We also have Imperial War Museum in the North, which is excellent, I am a pacifist, and this is the only war museum which doesnt glorify war in any way, it’s whole ethos is different from the London one. I am informed by those who know that it has a club scene. At heart I am still a Liverpudlian, and always will be, but Manchester is a good place to live, and does have lots to offer.
Comment by Liz P | August 2, 2010 |