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http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> Less than half join BBC Salford move http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1262093228 Message started by Administrator on Dec 29^th, 2009, 1:28pm

Title: Less than half join BBC Salford move
Post by Administrator on Dec 29^th, 2009, 1:28pm

Some 428 of 924 staff asked to move from London agree, with take-up lower among women than men

Less than half of all the 924 staff the BBC has asked to move to its new north-of-England headquarters in Salford have agreed to make the move.
With the first employees in the five BBC programming departments due to transfer in the New Year, it has emerged that while 58% of the sports division have agree to leave London, just 26% of the BBC Learning and 31% of the children's department are moving.
In total, 46% of the staff in the five BBC programming departments – children's, sport, learning, Radio 5 Live and future media and technology – have chosen to relocate from London. This equates to 428 people.
In addition, 800 staff based at the corporation's Manchester offices will move to the MediaCity development in Salford by 2011 in one of the most ambitious relocation projects in the corporation's history.
London staff have spent the past year deciding whether they want to transfer. Sport had the highest take-up, 58%, followed by Radio 5 Live's AM morning division, with 56%, then 5 Live News with 50%.
Around 45% of future media and technology staff agreed to relocate, 31% of children's, 26% of marketing, communication and technology and 26% of BBC Learning.
Interestingly, the relocation proved much more popular with male staff, with just 30% of female staff opting to move.
To help relocate staff, those who own homes have been offered loans for up to 80% of value to help them move house.
They are also being offered flexible packages with three options of when to move their families.
Those full-time staff who have decided not to relocate have a year to find new jobs within the BBC or take redundancy.
An official from the technicians' union, Bectu, Luke Crawley, said: "The union gives a cautious welcome to the numbers going. It bodes well for Salford as production base that a considerable number of experienced staff will be going there."
In May the BBC revealed that half of all senior managers decided to move to BBC North.
The first staff to transfer in January will be a couple of people from Five Live, which will begin broadcasting some late night programmes from Salford, and a few staff working on children's show Newsround.
"BBC staff relocation levels at 46% are much higher than the average, helping to reduce overall redundancy costs whilst still providing several hundred new roles in the creative industries," said a spokesman for the BBC.
"This figure is higher than initial expectations and our independent relocation specialists estimate that a figure of over 40% is considered high for a move in either the private or public sectors.
"BBC North will deliver a huge boost to our creative economy in the North of England, and bring the BBC closer to our audiences."

By
Tara Conlan

Source:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/dec/29/bbc-salford-move