NG
I don't know about the job numbers, but Thames Valley is being merged with Meridian South and Meridian South East.
Although ITV Thames Valley is a product of the Charles Allen era at ITV, it was rather pointless creating it anyway, I'm sure people would have had an idea that the majority of ITV Sub-regions haven't got long left before they close, merge or relocate.
Creating the Thames Valley region allowed them to shut the studio at Abingdon though - a significant cost saving. ISTR that Abingdon was on it's second fit-out and was running early SD digital gear (including first gen Quantel Editboxes and Clipboxes?) so in need of a refit for 16:9 and more modern editing platforms (allowing desktop editing)?
Meridian had already shut the Newbury studio a while back (to cut costs and avoid a refit from the original 1992 set-up?) and were operating two studios out of Northam and one out of New Hythe when they co-sited to Whiteley (rationalising three studio sites to two and then one), so closing Abingdon and merging with the Whiteley operation was another cost cutting exercise?
The current 3 co-sited studios at Whiteley cover the same ground as the original Abingdon, Newbury, Northam and New Hythe sites - so moving from four studio sites to one is a major saving, in staffing and maintenance costs etc.
By making two of the three current regional operations sub-opts they can cut staff (both technical and production) costs yet further - in particular there will be far less editing (and no doubt the sub-opts will all be VJ produced)
noggin
Founding member
nwtv2003 posted:
South Today posted:
Any details on whats happening with Thames Valley yet - any idea of job numbers in Abingdon?
I don't know about the job numbers, but Thames Valley is being merged with Meridian South and Meridian South East.
Although ITV Thames Valley is a product of the Charles Allen era at ITV, it was rather pointless creating it anyway, I'm sure people would have had an idea that the majority of ITV Sub-regions haven't got long left before they close, merge or relocate.
Creating the Thames Valley region allowed them to shut the studio at Abingdon though - a significant cost saving. ISTR that Abingdon was on it's second fit-out and was running early SD digital gear (including first gen Quantel Editboxes and Clipboxes?) so in need of a refit for 16:9 and more modern editing platforms (allowing desktop editing)?
Meridian had already shut the Newbury studio a while back (to cut costs and avoid a refit from the original 1992 set-up?) and were operating two studios out of Northam and one out of New Hythe when they co-sited to Whiteley (rationalising three studio sites to two and then one), so closing Abingdon and merging with the Whiteley operation was another cost cutting exercise?
The current 3 co-sited studios at Whiteley cover the same ground as the original Abingdon, Newbury, Northam and New Hythe sites - so moving from four studio sites to one is a major saving, in staffing and maintenance costs etc.
By making two of the three current regional operations sub-opts they can cut staff (both technical and production) costs yet further - in particular there will be far less editing (and no doubt the sub-opts will all be VJ produced)