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Now Granada hint at closing City Road studios

(November 2003)

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:-(
A former member
Quote:
Out of the four main studios at Kirkstall Road, one has been converted to a Tape Store, but with the recent opening of the Emmerdale production centre, three other production studios and the Calendar Newscentre


This, I am sure, would be something of a relevation to those that work there. There is a studio 3 and 4, but no 1 or 2; therefore there are only 2 main studios.

Moreover, whilst one of the studios was given the green light some months ago to become a tape storage facility, filming still continues there at this time.

Quote:
As part of it's last licence application, YTV purchased the building and freehold of the site


Now, I am prepared to be corrected but as I understand it YTV does not possess the freehold. It has a very long leasehold, which has (I believe) another 100 hundred years or so to run.

Quote:
YTV and Granada actually merged with a lot of Granada staff being made redundant


For those with memories like goldfish don't forget the savage cutbacks that occurred at YTV a couple of years ago. Plus, whilst I'm aware of the YTTV acronym, the GTYTTV acronym escapes me.

Quote:
If I was sat in Leeds, i'd be feeling very smug with myself.


In these times of turmoil what makes you think that anyone feels safe, or indeed smug? Key personnel and departments across all Granada sites are being hit, and it was announced that redundancies will continue to be made until June 2004. Just how smug would you feel in a climate like that?!?
AN
Andrew Founding member
huddy posted:
Lewis c posted:


I agree with you,and it will be very interesting to see what Granada will do about Border,although they wouldn't get that much for their studios it's not exactly a desirable area to build modern apartments.


Out of the four main studios at Kirkstall Road, one has been converted to a Tape Store, but with the recent opening of the Emmerdale production centre, three other production studios and the Calendar Newscentre as well as the back up facilities for network playouts, I would say that with the age of the building, it was very safe.


Plus I doubt they would want to build luxury apartments on the site. Right next to a busy road with a fire station next door and a bus depot and an industrial mill across the road!.

YTV have recently sold their York premises haven't they, and moved somewhere else?
:-(
A former member
noggin posted:
Anglia have apparently mothballed a couple of their studios - though still have the capacity to house Trisha etc.

I don't know what the BBC did with their studios at Oxford Road - if they haven't been converted to offices it would be feasible to re-equip?



IIRC the studios are there, just mothballed. The only TV studio used there is the one for NorthWest tonight

The plan is to completely refurbish New Oxford Road which will also mean them disposing of any parts of the building they no longer need (the TV studios- OB centre). I wonder if Granadas plans are making them rethink now?
:-(
A former member
nwtv2003 posted:
Well all of the building is still there (I went past it on the train today) but I think they only use Oxford Road for NWT, the religious department and GMR. Though I assume that the religious department takes up a lot of space as they use a studio for heaven and earth show and I think they have a lot of editing facilites for other programmes like Songs Of Praise, I only know this as we did this in RS.


The TV studios aren't used there. Heaven & Earth comes from Granada.

There is a lot in BBC Manchester - there's an Entertainment department, and a large network radio section including Radio drama, an orchestra and Mark & Lard.


Quote:
Though if they want to make Manchester the home of BBC2, they need to do a big job, though that would really be cool, BBC NW's facilites aren't up to scratch, if you want proof, just watch the ident they playout before NWT. So a good idea to is to upgrade the equipment or move out of Oxford Road.


There is a diffrence between the facilities used for NWT and those in the rest of the building - regional is seperate to network (and indeed owned by a diffrent company)

There is talk of BBC3 or a radio station moving to Manchester as part of the license fee settlement. A very good idea (but won't be popular with those who have to move away from London!). It won't mean that it will be played out from Manchester though, just scheduled and produced from there
NG
noggin Founding member
Larry Scutta posted:
nwtv2003 posted:
Well all of the building is still there (I went past it on the train today) but I think they only use Oxford Road for NWT, the religious department and GMR. Though I assume that the religious department takes up a lot of space as they use a studio for heaven and earth show and I think they have a lot of editing facilites for other programmes like Songs Of Praise, I only know this as we did this in RS.


The TV studios aren't used there. Heaven & Earth comes from Granada.


Out of interest - does anyone know when Heaven & Earth moved from Studio D at Oxford Road to Granada? ISTR that Studio D was not part of the 3Sixty deal and wasn't closed either - as it had just been built to make small studio shows for BBC Choice etc. Be interesting to see if it still exists or was closed to save money - if Heaven and Earth was the only show using it I can't imagine it could pay its way...
DE
deejay
Pure Soap (and similar shows) came from Studio D as well ISTR - agfain for BBC Choice (as it was then). I didn't know that Heaven and Earth had moved...

So if Studio D has closed, then BBC MR has no Network sudios at all anymore. Although, as far as I know, they haven't been redeveloped yet. If Quay Street closes, then maybe a renaissance for Oxford Road looms? The BBC has already been criticised from a number of angles for closing all it's English regional studios over recent years: Bristol, Pebble Mill, Manchester and Milton Keynes (OU Production Centre). The only exception is the studios at Elstree, which are now the BBC's most Northerly English regional Network Production Studios ... and they're within the M25 !
:-(
A former member
If I ruled the world, I'd disband the Border region. Southern Scotland would either have a fully seperate, stand-alone news programme, or recieve central Scotland's news, but with a sub-opt (like BBC South (Oxford)). In either case, it could come from either new studios in, say, Dumfries, or from a small studio in Glasgow, down the corridor from the main Scotland Today studio (again, like BBC South (Oxford)).

This would mean that Tyne Tees would in fact have to become "ITV1 North East & Cumbria", thus standardising with their BBC counterpart. But they could keep the Carlisle studios, for a BBC-South-(Oxford)-style sub-opt (which would also report Manx news), giving them one over the BBC.
AS
Aston
Alice NotCooper posted:
If I ruled the world, I'd disband the Border region. Southern Scotland would either have a fully seperate, stand-alone news programme, or recieve central Scotland's news, but with a sub-opt (like BBC South (Oxford)). In either case, it could come from either new studios in, say, Dumfries, or from a small studio in Glasgow, down the corridor from the main Scotland Today studio (again, like BBC South (Oxford)).

This would mean that Tyne Tees would in fact have to become "ITV1 North East & Cumbria", thus standardising with their BBC counterpart. But they could keep the Carlisle studios, for a BBC-South-(Oxford)-style sub-opt (which would also report Manx news), giving them one over the BBC.


Errrrm, haven't you already posted this in another thread?

How is this relevant to regional TV studios?
AD
Adam
Andrew posted:
huddy posted:
Lewis c posted:


I agree with you,and it will be very interesting to see what Granada will do about Border,although they wouldn't get that much for their studios it's not exactly a desirable area to build modern apartments.


Out of the four main studios at Kirkstall Road, one has been converted to a Tape Store, but with the recent opening of the Emmerdale production centre, three other production studios and the Calendar Newscentre as well as the back up facilities for network playouts, I would say that with the age of the building, it was very safe.


Plus I doubt they would want to build luxury apartments on the site. Right next to a busy road with a fire station next door and a bus depot and an industrial mill across the road!.

YTV have recently sold their York premises haven't they, and moved somewhere else?


Why would YTV need a York premises? It's not in their coverage area is it?
AS
Aston
Adam posted:
Why would YTV need a York premises? It's not in their coverage area is it?


Oh good god - please tell me you're not posting that on behalf of a certain David H Rolling Eyes Laughing

Of course York is in York shire's covereage area. There ARE some parts which apparently tune into TTTV because of a better picture.

However, all this is academic because Yorkshire owns TTTV anyway...
AD
Adam
Aston posted:
Adam posted:
Why would YTV need a York premises? It's not in their coverage area is it?


Oh good god - please tell me you're not posting that on behalf of a certain David H Rolling Eyes Laughing

Of course York is in York shire's covereage area. There ARE some parts which apparently tune into TTTV because of a better picture.

However, all this is academic because Yorkshire owns TTTV anyway...


I think you're confusing York with Leeds, where Tyne Tees is better quality picture in some areas (and better quality programming in all areas Laughing ).

TTTV have been the official broadcaster to the North East and North Yorkshire since the 70s.

Bilsdale, which transmits to the 'Tees Valley' (there is no Tees Valley, but it's the new name for anything which used to be Cleveland) and North Yorkshire, shows Tyne Tees South.

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/bilsdale-iba-625uhf-map.jpg

from mb21.

I'm not sure if Belmont is the only YTV transmitter, but it does NOT cover York at all.

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/belmont-625uhf-iba-map.jpg
SO
Steven O
Adam posted:
Aston posted:
Adam posted:
Why would YTV need a York premises? It's not in their coverage area is it?


Oh good god - please tell me you're not posting that on behalf of a certain David H Rolling Eyes Laughing

Of course York is in York shire's covereage area. There ARE some parts which apparently tune into TTTV because of a better picture.

However, all this is academic because Yorkshire owns TTTV anyway...


I think you're confusing York with Leeds, where Tyne Tees is better quality picture in some areas (and better quality programming in all areas Laughing ).

TTTV have been the official broadcaster to the North East and North Yorkshire since the 70s.

Bilsdale, which transmits to the 'Tees Valley' (there is no Tees Valley, but it's the new name for anything which used to be Cleveland) and North Yorkshire, shows Tyne Tees South.

I'm not sure if Belmont is the only YTV transmitter, but it does NOT cover York at all.


York receives from Emley IIRC, but there are parts which can only get Bilsdale (and therefore TTTV). Most of York gets both. North Yorkshire has been a disputed ground between TTTV and YTV since 1974, when Yorkshire lost Bilsdale to Tyne Tees but gained Belmont from Anglia.

(I seem to recall that the last time I mentioned this, it resulted in David H's removal from the forum, as he refused to accept that Bilsdale was originally a YTV mast....) Laughing

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