Delivering Quality First

Some old words of BBC director-general Mark Thompson may come back to haunt him, notes Dave Woodhall.

The news that 150 jobs are to be axed at BBC’s regional headquarters in the Mailbox has, quite rightly, led to a furore.  A ‘Save BBC Birmingham’ campaign has begun  with an Early Day Motion signed by many local MPs.

At this time it might be worth recalling what was said when the BBC’s move from Pebble Mill to the Mailbox was being mooted, back in 1999. There were fears that the move would lead to a downgrading of what was then the corporation’s sizeable presence in Birmingham. At a meeting between senior management and the BECTU union on the subject, one senior BBC employee was clear in his belief that the region remained uppermost in the corporation’s plans.

He said there was “a considerable commitment to regional television and local radio based in the West Midlands. Pebble Mill houses successfully the headquarters of the English regions.” The BBC, he continued, was “totally committed to continuing the provision of local radio and television and, increasingly, online.” He confirmed that “Broadcast has a commitment to a production centre in Birmingham.” He accepted that changes in commissioning had a big impact in the area and therefore agreed some levels of guarantees for commissions even before the programmes were clear. This, he stated, “would enable a critical mass of talent to be maintained in Birmingham.”

And the name of this man who gave such a clear and unequivocal message of support for the future of the BBC in Birmingham?

It was the corporation’s then-Director of National and Regional Broadcast, Mark Thompson.

Minutes of the meeting can be found at  http://bectubbc.org.uk/news/1999/19990507.html