Broadcasting House, Salford Quays & TVC

With respect, that's because you don't have experience of technical installations. Its something I am familiar with from a production/performance space perspective; but I've never been involved in one which also comprises IT for newsgathering/editing (and everything else) as well.

A lot of the spaces and kit may be ready well ahead of that timeframe, but it will need to be tested, and then of course they have to make the move as seamless as possible.

So, with that in mind it doesn't sound excessive to me - and as with these thunderously expensive projects, you only want to do it once, so you have to do it right.

Agreed that I don't have the technical knowledge, but it just seems strange to me that anything can take that long. My experience is of building a fully equipped fully functioning town for 44,000 people (the fifth largest town in Essex) in just one month - the 21st World Scout Jamboree. This included putting in power, water, toilets, showers, phone lines, internet facilities, wifi, 3 Sainsburys supermarkets, 1 hospital etc etc. And this was mostly done by volunteers in their spare time!

Well Moz that was a rather impressive event, I'm told. I trust you will be coming north to see Edinburgh's Gang Show, now in its 51st year? You should, the writing is *hi-larious*, if I do say so myself

Sadly, the two things are incomparable, as one is a temporary arrangement with basic functionality, and the other is a super-complicated infrastructure woven into the fabric of a multi storey building.

Add to that the things have to be installed to "BBC Specification", which although less stringent than it used to be, still requires longer to do that lashing things up with hemp and packing cables into containment with the blunt side of a broom.

And I say that because I have heard many stories about the installs at STV and BBC at Pacific Quay in Glasgow - and the level of care that separated them

Ha ha, not really one for Gang Shows sorry!

I know the two are incomparible, was just using it as an example of where my level of experience of installations was, and why I'm so impatient!

Can't help thinking that 'BBC Specification' doesn't always mean it works better though. I can't remember major power cuts taking ITV and Sky off the air as has happened at TVC.

You could argue that those power supplies are much older at the BBC, whereas the Sky's was a new site - although I don't know the reasons for the failures at the Beeb.

But in general terms, BBC spec is superior - it goes all the way down to how you lay cables round corners so you don't put strain on the cores within. Like I say, if its done well the first time it lasts a lot longer.

Some of the strictness may have eroded, if they've been using third parties to do their installations.

Perhaps the technical types can advise on this point.

I'm not au-fait with BBC specifications but have been involved with setting up a new broadcast facility. It was much much smaller than Broadcasting House and was telly only but that took the best part of 10 months from taking over an empty space to first broadcast... and certain technical facilities were still being put in after we went on air.

There's 2 seperate phases of fit out - first all the cabling, racks and desks - and then all the actual equipment. The new BH is a huge complex, fitting out numerous radio stations, 2 TV channels with several studios plus the biggest newsroom in the world, it's not going to be quick and it's not something that could be started until the building was finished and handed over

It's not just the fit out, there's the testing and rehearsing too before going on air, this normally takes months working up to full piloting. With so many different services moving over this will have to be phased by getting one production team over at a time, and of course each one needs extra staff during the transition period

And don't forget the sheer number of services coming from the building - all the radio networks will pass through there, umpteen streams of World Service content, several large TV studios. The next month alone will be spent on power testing, and I don't believe the building is due to be handed over to the BBC until the start of December.

The plans will have to go to systems integrators; the systems integrators will install things; it'll be back to the BBC to run acceptance tests; there will then be snagging. Then there's getting the operational staff trained up, and people used to new ways of working. Plus they'll be keen to make sure it's definitely going to work once it's all up and running.

I'd imagine there are over-runs built into the schedule, and it could well be finished ahead of time. But no, I'm not surprised it's going to be that long before we see services coming from the new bits of BH.

ITV close to a deal to move to Salford Quays
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/itv-close-to-deal-that-will-shift-shows-to-salford-2114808.html

Quite surprised this hasn't been picked up sooner, but ITV are near enough to close to using some of the Media City UK facilities at Salford Quays, whilst in the short term keep their Quay Street studios, but obviously that won't be the long term plan.

From what I understand the plan would be to move the offices into one of the already completed blocks, so they'd be able to move in next year, and then build the new Coronoation Street set and studios on the Trafford side of the Quays, which would obviously take some time, hence why they'd need to stay at Quay Street for a bit.

ITV had had a number of power failures in the last year or so alone - the incidents at the South Bank which caused GMTV to be off air for the first 20 minutes, and (I think on another occasion) the southern regions not to be able to do the mid-morning news updates. The northern transmission centre in Leeds had a power cut just a few weeks ago which took lunchtime regional news in the northern regions off air.

There was also a last minute decampment to Millbank for the News at Ten in the summer after power trouble at ITN.

Can't remember any incidences of Sky News falling off air due to power problems.

Before they moved to Chiswick there were a couple of failures at their playout facilities at the South Bank - one was overnight and the other at 11am-ish


Not power problems but they did go off air for a while earlier this year when the sound desk died. This was when Sky News had a temporary gallery while everything was being refit for HD. IIRC they had to fly in the new part to enable them fto get back on air

Has BBC London News also moved today? The 6.30 bulletin does seem a bit iffy picture quality wise with a green screen backdrop not as good as per usual.