BBC channel to set up in city in major investment

THE BBC is moving half of its BBC Three team to Birmingham and plans to locate its local news partnerships in the city in a major boost to the region’s media sector.

The Corporation has been criticised for its lack of investment in the West Midlands, with London and Manchester dominating.

Tony Hall, BBC Director General, described the investment as “good news for Birmingham and good news for the BBC”.

He said: “I’ve seen in Birmingham how much of a difference our extra investment in the past couple of years has made – but I’ve also said there was more to do.

“Now we’re putting Birmingham at the heart of our innovation with BBC Three, and making it home to a new youth team for BBC News. The city’s incredible diversity also means it’s the perfect place to lead our work to ensure we reflect the changing face of Britain.”

The BBC’s plans include moving the commissioning, publishing and some of the production of BBC Three’s short-form content, and the social media team that supports it, to Birmingham in a phased transition by 2018.

Birmingham will also be the home of a new youth team within BBC News and the BBC’s proposed local news partnerships are expected to be based in the city alongside the English Regions HQ.

The proposals would result in moving control of more spend to Birmingham, with budgets totalling more than £10m transferring to BBC Birmingham.

“The BBC has a rich history in Birmingham, but also a bright future,” said Joe Godwin, director of BBC Birmingham.

“Birmingham is a great city with a huge amount of potential. I am really pleased we will be dedicating even more resources, producing even more content, and creating more opportunities for the industry and our audiences in the region.”

The BBC Academy will also launch a new scheme, the Birmingham Production Apprenticeship, for new off-air talent from diverse backgrounds.