JO
The Media Guardian article below states that Anglia Television are to close the Magdalen site in Norwich and move Anglia News back to Anglia House. The closure of the former "trisha" studio has been on the cards for a while, but moving Anglia News back to Anglia house is surprising given the amount of money Anglia invested in the creating the Anglia News studios in the mid 1990's.
Anglia cuts jobs after Ofcom ruling
Dominic Timms
Friday May 20, 2005
ITV's Anglia network is to axe close to 50 staff in Norwich following media regulator Ofcom's decision to allow the channel to reduce its local non-news programming by 50%.
Anglia said it was cutting 46 posts and disposing of its Magdalen Street studio in Norwich as a result of the cuts and the subsequent decision by ITV to outsource its regional peak time output.
In an email to staff, the Anglia managing director, Graham Creelman, said the decision was "regrettable but inevitable in the light of the Ofcom decision".
Describing the restructuring as "painful," he said the cuts would fall across the company's programming , technical, studios, technology and finance departments, with 26 posts being axed in its regional programming unit.
As part of the restructuring the company will move out of its current site, concentrating staff in its city centre headquarters where it plans a new £5m newsroom.
Anglia said it was talking to prospective buyers for its Magdalen Street studio, which will be mothballed.
"This is regrettable but inevitable in the light of the Ofcom decision to allow ITV to reduce its non-news regional programming from three hours to one-and-a half hours a week; an internal review of our technical capacity and the now long-term absence of work for the Magdalen Street studio," Mr Creelman told staff.
Anglia said it expected most of the job losses to be voluntary and anticipated that "many of those leaving will be re-employed within the region's growing independent production community".
After lobbying by ITV the media regulator announced in February that it would allow the channel to reduce its local non-news programming hours by half.
In support of its decision, Ofcom said non-news regional shows were considered a "lower priority to viewers than other aspects of public service broadcasting", and therefore it was "hard to sustain" arguments requiring ITV to continue to invest in this type of programming.
Unions described the decision as the "death blow to regional programming across the country", warning it would put up to 300 jobs at risk.
Anglia cuts jobs after Ofcom ruling
Dominic Timms
Friday May 20, 2005
ITV's Anglia network is to axe close to 50 staff in Norwich following media regulator Ofcom's decision to allow the channel to reduce its local non-news programming by 50%.
Anglia said it was cutting 46 posts and disposing of its Magdalen Street studio in Norwich as a result of the cuts and the subsequent decision by ITV to outsource its regional peak time output.
In an email to staff, the Anglia managing director, Graham Creelman, said the decision was "regrettable but inevitable in the light of the Ofcom decision".
Describing the restructuring as "painful," he said the cuts would fall across the company's programming , technical, studios, technology and finance departments, with 26 posts being axed in its regional programming unit.
As part of the restructuring the company will move out of its current site, concentrating staff in its city centre headquarters where it plans a new £5m newsroom.
Anglia said it was talking to prospective buyers for its Magdalen Street studio, which will be mothballed.
"This is regrettable but inevitable in the light of the Ofcom decision to allow ITV to reduce its non-news regional programming from three hours to one-and-a half hours a week; an internal review of our technical capacity and the now long-term absence of work for the Magdalen Street studio," Mr Creelman told staff.
Anglia said it expected most of the job losses to be voluntary and anticipated that "many of those leaving will be re-employed within the region's growing independent production community".
After lobbying by ITV the media regulator announced in February that it would allow the channel to reduce its local non-news programming hours by half.
In support of its decision, Ofcom said non-news regional shows were considered a "lower priority to viewers than other aspects of public service broadcasting", and therefore it was "hard to sustain" arguments requiring ITV to continue to invest in this type of programming.
Unions described the decision as the "death blow to regional programming across the country", warning it would put up to 300 jobs at risk.
