BBC Cost Cutting

I read in a newspaper last week about some member of staff who left a rather angry message on the BBC's internal forum (does such a thing exist?) about the cost of changing/switching off a lightbulb above his desk, which was near a window .

From what I remember from the article, apparently the lights in the new Broadcast Centre can't be switched off individually as they're so hi-tech and so Land Securities Trilium had to be called in to switch the damn thing off or change it.

I assume said light must have been causing some annoyance to the person involved. The cost, for the BBC? £57 for one job. Also from what I remember, a nearby colleague asked for the same do be done to their lightbulb and they refused to do it because it was classed as a separate job, and so, another £57.

It'd be interesting to see a copy of this message if anyone has it. I mean, £57 to switch off/change a lightbulb?

If the lightbulb in the drop-down passenger vanity mirror on your Jaguar car goes, Jag will charge you £150+VAT to replace the part, included the cost of the "work" involved. If you want them to check your wipers at the same time, you'll need to get your chequebook out again and pay the extra labour costs.

It's a sign of the times, unfortunately, and I don't think it's a great case of BBC wastage. Although I'm quite happy to admit it's bloody extortion, and the charges set for such work seem to be ascertained without logic, and solely with the use of a random number generator of some sort.

However, a producer friend of my family, formerly with BBC factual programming, did mention to me not long ago that Auntie had spent an awful lot of money on at least one "concept" room largely used for brainstorming and development of series, specially designed at considerable cost and pretty well appointed, including expensive tables and chairs worth thousands and hundreds a piece, respectively. Madness.

So I wouldn't be classed as "moaning" or "silly" if it were something you agree with then?

I suppose the difference being anyone who chooses to to drive a Jag is trying to show that they have money to burn, so get charged appropriately.
The BBC are supposedly trying to save money, yet acting like they have money to burn... What's wrong with a normal lightbulb, and hopping up onto your desk to change it when it starts playing up?

I was suggesting that when you are looking to save money, the last place to start trimming should be the programming budgets.

And there's really no need to roll your eyes at me.

I agree, programme budgets shouldn't be cut, however there is (or should be) a responsibility to get some value for money out of the budget they do have, and I was questioning whether or not that particular item was indeed good value for money, that's all - I don't think that is either "moaning" or "silly".

As for your comment on " "....

programme budgets are generally very tight - i very much doubt the production team would have opted for this sofa without good reason. many people seem oblivious about how expensive programmes are.

there are many extravagances in some areas of the bbc - but i do not think this is one of them.

Yes.

does it run on that awful h2 program or on dna?

Neither

That figure sounds VERY reasonable to me for a bespoke sofa, chair and table set-up.

Having costed such things in the past I have seen "designer" coffee tables cost at least £2k, "designer" sofas cost over £10k etc. If you can simulate that for £4.5k then you're doing well. Sure you can sometimes rent items for less than this - but if you are doing a long-ish shoot, and need to spec the colours etc. (even if renting you'll require re-upholstering, which isn't likely to be cheap) that doesn't sound bad at all.

Ana - are you familiar with Health and Safety at work legislation? In a number of places I have worked (including an area where I was qualified to work as an electrical engineer), it has been a disciplinary offence to do any electrical work on the building fabric - including replacing light bulbs - as there are all sorts of implications if unqualified people carry this out. It may seem trivial - but you have all sorts of issues :

1. Insurance risks if an incorrect bulb is used (i.e. too high a wattage - causing a fire risk)
2. Health and Safety risks if you electrocute yourself when fitting it
3. Health and Safety risks if you fit it incorrectly and electrocute somebody else who then operates it.
4. Working at heights without the correct training to do so.

One of the most common office injuries is people stupidly using swivel chairs on castors to stand on to reach high places - of course swivel chairs on castors are hardly the most stable platforms...

Similarly in most HSE aware areas ladders are kept locked, so that only authorised/trained people can use them, as working at heights is also an issue.

Of course the lamp in question was almost certainly NOT a standard 60W bayonet light fitting in a ceiling pendant (i.e. what you have at home) - it was far more likely an office fluorescent or similar (not as easy to change as a normal "bulb"), controlled remotely (either via a local infra red remote control + Passive IR "person" detector, or remotely via computer control). In large open plan offices there are often not many places to actually mount light switches these days, nor is it cheap to run cables all round rooms to central light switch positions.