Forum for former BBC staff - Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts

Mikej

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Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts
Oct 22^nd, 2013, 8:27am

If you hadn't heard, SiS (who bought BBC OBs a few years ago) have decided to sell off their OB division with the loss of over 200 jobs and try to sell the trucks and equipment as well. They will finally close the division about March next year.
A was a sad day when first OBs were sold and now a real blow to the industry and a sad end for all those who work there now and and have worked so hard pioneering OBs from the 40s.
As one facebook poster commented - What next, BBC closing studios as well - got it right there (if a bit late to comment)!
Mike

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Bill Jenkin Junior Member Offline Posts: 70 Gender:	Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts Reply #1 - Oct 22^nd, 2013, 12:35pm Awful news.
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JohnW

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Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts
Reply #2 - Oct 22^nd, 2013, 8:18pm

Bill's right. Truly shocking!
I posted a comment when I saw that Sport hadn't given SiS any of the forthcoming contracts: this, I'm afraid, confirms my worst fears for the Beeb of the future.
They will be little more than a commissioning house - and currently their programmes are very poor. I've given up any regular 'evening viewing' as there so little of any worth to be found on any of their 4 channels. I hate to admit it but even 5 has better programmes - and that's saying something!!

The real tragedy is for those OB chaps who have given their everything for the Beeb, and who got kicked in the proverbials when BBC Resources sold them out/off. I hope (for their sake) that those companies who have now gained the Sports contracts find they need more-experienced staff, and that those who find themselves 'let go' by SiS will be accommodated therein.

A very sad day indeed.

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Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts
Reply #3 - Oct 23^rd, 2013, 5:55pm

This article in "Televisual" discusses possible reasons for the closure of SIS Outside Broadcast operations.

"One observer commented that when SIS Live took over BBC OB's they had a prime opportunity to bring the company up to date in terms of facilities and working practices – but failed to do either.  "-

"“The OB companies at the time knew the true value of BBC Outside Broadcast. In 2008 it was widely considered to be £1 when its obligations * were taken into account."

"SIS only got BBC OB because it agreed to take that on,” says the source.

“Reading between lines it’s clear that over the last five years the keenness of the SIS board to maintain an OB business has evaporated."

* The obligations were:- "TUPE regulations (The Transfer of Undertakings - Protection of Employment - Regulations 2006) SIS had to take on the huge overhead of a 200-strong workforce. "

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WG Senior Member Offline Posts: 352 Hitchin Gender:	Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts Reply #4 - Oct 24^th, 2013, 12:58pm For TUPE, read transfer now and be made redundant later.....
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Administrator YaBB Administrator Offline Posts: 3268	Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts Reply #5 - Nov 13^th, 2013, 4:02pm Gary Smith (Managing Director of SIS) explains what happened, here. "Without the BBC Sport work, SIS was stranded as a general-purpose supplier with neither the scale nor the specialisation to be profitable."
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NigelE

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Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts
Reply #6 - Nov 14^th, 2013, 5:40pm

All is not lost !In the grand scheme of things, under Birt, TV OBs (Kendal Avenue) and Radio OBs (Concord Road) were formed into one unit. Subsequently under Jenny Abramsky,who valued the knowledge, skill base and resources of Radio Outside Broadcasts, they were brought back into the BBC as part of Audio & Music.
Radio OBs is part of the BBC and still exists

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Roundabout Full Member Offline Posts: 214	Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts Reply #7 - Nov 15^th, 2013, 8:46pm Well Nigel, listening to the first ten minutes of Any Questions on Radio 4 this evening that could be described as a mixed blessing!
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NigelE YaBB Newbies Offline Posts: 4	Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts Reply #8 - Nov 24^th, 2013, 3:17pm The last two minutes of the rehearsal and warm up swiftly followed by the opening of Any Questions for Radio 4 were always a challenge to the one Sound Supervisor on his own in the truck ! Once I d id the programme from Norwich Cathedral, the log showed 'opening sounded cavernous'
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Roundabout

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Re: Final blow to BBC Outside Broadcasts
Reply #9 - Nov 25^th, 2013, 9:45am

Yes Nigel as a Local Radio person I can well sympathise with that sort of situation but with regard to the Any Questions to which I referred the sound balance was so poor that speakers remarks were being lost as each mic. seemed to be being faded up after they had started talking, throughout the show. In addition the PA was far too high and was actually 'singing' much of the time. That's what made me wonder about who was actually doing it. PA is an endemic weakness with AQ these days.

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