Manchester looks set to find out later today if it will be new home for Channel 4

Reports are circulating that Channel 4 is set to announce where its new regional HQ is to be located later today.

A number of reports have emerged that the broadcaster will announce which city has been chosen for the new regional offices this afternoon.

And according to some sources Manchester is favourite ahead of the other short-listed cities, Birmingham and Leeds.

The broadcaster is moving around 300 jobs out of London to a main hub and two smaller creative hubs will be launched as part of its Nations and Regions strategy although its London base will still be its HQ.

Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer, said: “We have again had to take some very difficult decisions on which cities to take forward to the next stage, but we believe the six cities we have selected are best able to deliver against our vision and requirements for the new National HQ and Creative Hubs.”

Liverpool were in the running but were not included in the shortlist.

According to Birmingham Live there are rumours emanating from London that Manchester has won the race.

It would be another major coup for the city which is fast becoming a centre for media, digital firms and tech businesses.

MediaCity at Salford Quays would be the logical location for the new offices. The BBC and ITV both have major operations at Salford Quays.

MediaCityUK

Amazon has recently announced it is opening a corporate HQ in Manchester creating 600 jobs and GCHQ is also coming to the region.

Channel 4 will also open two smaller regional offices, called “hubs”

The broadcaster is holding a board meeting where executives will present their recommendations to the broadcaster’s directors.

An announcement is expected to be made shortly afterwards.

The new regional centre will include a state-of-the-art studio that will be used to produce programmes and events as well as live broadcasts.

There will also be a new digital production unit to create short digital content targeted at young audiences.

Wayne Garvie, the president of international production at Sony Pictures Television, has backed Manchester’s cause.

The former managing director of BBC Worldwide said: “What our industry needs is a counterweight to the pull of London in which young people (especially from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds, both of which are woefully underrepresented in production and broadcasting) can build sustainable careers without having to go to London.

“A Channel 4 outpost in Birmingham will not resolve this issue. It will be one more regional centre with not enough critical mass, which is how we got into this situation in the first place, once the ITV companies consolidated in the 1990s. People will use it as a stepping stone from and back to London.

“Salford – which already has a substantial BBC base across many programme genres, commissioning and production, a re-energised ITV Studios, brilliant international producers such as Red Production and world-class studio facilities at Dock 10 – is the only option that would create a sustainable base.

“If Channel 4 becomes part of that landscape, we would finally have the possibility to offer people careers outside of London and be building a television industry that better reflects the experiences of most of the UK. Salford has to be the new home of Channel 4.”