Manchester delegation handed wish list by Channel 4 bosses

Channel 4's London headquarters
Channel 4's London headquarters

Bosses at Channel 4 have laid out the ground rules in the bidding war to become home to the broadcaster’s new headquarters.

The publicly funded broadcaster has bowed to pressure from the Government to open a new office in the regions.

And delegates from across the country, including a team from Manchester, attended an all-day event in London this week.

The channel is moving 300 of its 800 staff out of the capital and will open three new sites in total.

The broadcaster is not selling its head office in London headquarters but its managers and commissioners will be moving to the news offices.

Jonathan Allan, the commercial head of Channel 4, gave details of the criteria the broadcaster needs filling.

The host city will have to have a working population of 200,000 and a travel time of three hours from London.

The chosen city must also have a high level of physical and digital creativity.

The city should also be close to a well-developed independent television or digital production community.

A short-list is being drawn up by the end of May and a final decision will be announced in October.

Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4, said that any space in the broadcasters London offices would be made available to independent production companies.

Manchester is seen as a front-runner due to the fact it has become a hub for media companies in recent years.

The arrival of the BBC at MediaCity in Salford was seen as a major coup for the city.

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