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Yentob tipped to mastermind BBC transfer to North
Danny Brierley16 Oct 2008
THE BBC was today facing growing speculation that it is preparing to appoint its creative director Alan Yentob as a new northern supremo as it transfers programming out of London.
Under plans reportedly drawn up by corporation bosses, Mr Yentob could be installed as a new "director general of the north" in charge of masterminding flagship services, including sports, children's programmes and Radio Five Live as they move to Salford.
Half of the BBC's network television production spending will be shifted out of London within eight years with Question Time and the Weakest Link being moved to Scotland. Some sources claim Yentob, who has just celebrated 40 years at the BBC, is resisting the new job as he opposes the transfer of his own programme, Imagine, north of the border.
The role is seen as the key to ensuring the transfer succeeds. Other potential candidates, are thought to include Richard Deverell, the BBC children's controller, and Peter Salmon, the chief creative officer of BBC Vision Productions.
A BBC spokesman said: "We never comment on speculation about appointments. The post has only recently been advertised. We expect to make an announcement before the end of the year."
Under the BBC's plans more than one-sixth of its £900million annual budget will be spent in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland by 2016.
However, some of its best loved stars are said to be in revolt. David Dimbleby is said to have expressed "dismay" to corporation's chiefs at their decision to make Question Time in Glasgow from 2010. It is thought he could leave the programme in protest.
Crimewatch, presented by Kirsty Young, will move to Cardiff, while production of the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows will go to Birmingham.
In a speech in London, BBC Vision director Jana Bennett said: "Our intention is to change the DNA of the BBC to bring the production of programmes closer to the audience we serve. That means permanently increasing production and commissioning of programmes in other parts of the country."
Gerry Morrissey, general secretary of the broadcasting workers' union Bectu, said: "We understand the need for the BBC to reflect its audiences across the UK. However, we want these changes to be meaningful and we don't want to see programmes made by independent companies based in London. It is our belief that this can be achieved without the need for any redundancies."
Reader views (6)
The BBC was advised by a medium (who correctly told it, among other things, to watch Russia just as it went into a place called "gory") that it would be well advised to move out of London. It was also advised of a threat to its HQ and has now announced that it is putting in fixed and automatic bollards to protect it. The information has been shown to be correct too many times to be ignored. It was given the information because it is part of the UK's Emergency Planning network. Why isn't it sharing the information it's received? Why is it only acting to protect itself?
- Snowball, London, England, 15/01/2009 02:09
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he is easily fooled and, despite all the power and privilege and resources, still manages to make dull uninformed programmes....witness the gtr story 3 parter
(and as for the fake hendrix guitar...my god!)
- Jtm, uk, 20/10/2008 16:33
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At the end of the day, most of the BBC's output is created by third party production companies based in London. That isn't going to change. All that is happening here is that the administration of the BBC is moving, fair enough there maybe a few in-house programmes that are moved to the regions but the heart of UK media will still be in the capital.
- Big Andy, London, 17/10/2008 11:14
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Moving Casuality from Bristol? But it's been set there since it began in 1986 and brings in a lot of tourism! There is something faintly anti-English in this latest BBC plan - like so many others in the recent past. By all means lesson BBC output from London, but don't give all the goodies from other parts of England to Wales and Scotland!
- Andy, Bristol, England, 16/10/2008 23:30
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Has moving the BBC out of London got anything to do with the service that it provides or is it just moving the government mouthpiece back to Labour heartlands to try and buy a few votes?
- Tom, Watford UK, 16/10/2008 18:03
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I'm a strong supporter of public service broadcasting but I feel the BBC has lost its way, it appears to have lost dynamism and run out of new ideas. As the credit crunch bites and we move into a recession the danger is the we could lose public support for ANY public service broadcasting. The move to producing programmes in other great creative cities like Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow may be one step to saving the BBC - giving it a new innovative spark. Perhaps also some of the BBC's peripheral activities (there are many) should be halted and the additional funding transferred to Channel 4. I note that it's Channel 4 that have the UKs flagship news programme of the day.
- David Lewis, London, UK, 16/10/2008 17:01
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