BBC London

Are they not upgrading to VizRT? Perhaps they are running the old style graphics on the new system?

I compared a screen shot of the old one and the new one on the online feed, it has definitely changed - font is now Swiss, not Gill Sans, and the white bit is longer than it used to be, and the red part shorter

Current rumour doing the rounds at BU is that training will be moving from MHS to BU, mostly into the space recently vacated by the Arabic service moving to the Egton wing in BH. Within the next few months some of the Persian service will also go to Egton for the Persian television channel - so that gives even more options for space. I'm ready to believe this one, because it fits in with other projects going on in the World Service.

Less likely is another rumour is that the whole of MHS is moving to BU, I'm not convinced there is the space for everyone. A newsroom isn't going to work with everyone split up across 40 individual offices in 3 wings - unless they get the old Arabic newsroom and training is absorbed into the existing conference/meeting room and studio infrastructure in BU.

If it happens things will be very cosy until BH is finished and World Service moves out, and then whoever moves from MHS will have to find another new home.

My money would be on BBC London moving to Egton/BH not Bush, but freeing up space at MHS to be sold off / returned. Isn't Bush going to be returned to its owners at some point - once WS have moved out?

Yep, they wouldn't move into Bush House only then to move into Broadcasting House a few years later. The rumours I've heard is that they're moving to (the new bit of) BH at some point. in the next few years

BBC London 94.9 was in Bush House for a while (it moved in as GLR and moved out as London Live!) during the rebuilding of their bit of MHS. I was shown round there once by a friend, it was a very odd arrangement as it was in 3 areas of Bush with the studios in a totally diffrent building to everything else!

A move to BH for the TV side is something that was planned in the 90's but never came to fruition and of course if it had they'd have needed to move again since due to BH's rebuild!

I agree - but it was a good rumour worth passing on

If BBC London are getting a chunk of Egton it would explain where the remaining space is going.

WS was due to move to Phase 2 of BH in 2010. However it's now not due to be ready for occupation until 2012. BU will be closed then, I'm told the lease is due to expire and won't be renewed.

I think it was always inevitable having a radio station and News studio in a diffrent building to everything else was never that brilliant operationally.



Bush isn't a BBC building (it's owned by a Japanese shipping company IIRC) and the BBC's lease is due up. They were never going to renew it, the long term plan has always been to move to somewhere more modern.

Does BBC London still have the static set?
It was used mainly during interviews.

You mean the one with the posters from the titles in the background?

I have not seen it used since the latest set revamp so i would imagine it has gone.

Thats the one I mean thanks.
Also, when was the last time they used the downstairs area?

Yes, it was to the right of where the videowall is now. Awful bit of set that, was too small and when they updated their branding to red white a grey stripes, it looked like a 1980's kids bedroom!

I suppose there wasn't much point in having it now the new set is all sitty-downy



Hasn't been used since the first new set they had (the one with the red ironing board and the big hanging screen). AIUI the logistics of doing a programme on 2 floors were a bit tricky

Thanks Inspector Sands and alarsne53.