IT has been described as the biggest change to the structure of Channel 4 in the broadcasters’ 35-year history. The decision to establish a national headquarters outside London, alongside two smaller creative hubs in the Nations and Regions next year, has left a cluster of UK cities pitching for what would be a boost for jobs along with the added kudos of hosting one of the UK’s major media outlets.
Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff are all said to have staked a bid, as has Glasgow, and why not?
In arguing their case, Glasgow City Council leaders have placed great emphasis on the city’s standing as one of the most culturally, socially and ethnically diverse city regions within the UK. At the same time they have rightly flagged up Glasgow’s undeniable position as one of the leading centres for the arts and media.
Few places outside of London are able to draw on such a pool of creative talent and with the BBC and STV/ITV already ensconced in their bespoke facilities located at Glasgow’s Pacific Quay, there already exists an established production track record.That the skillset and highly qualified workforce exists goes without saying, and if money talks then there are likely cost-competitiveness factors too that might appeal to the broadcaster.
There is of course no question that the other bidding cities each have their own unique location, infrastructural and broadcasting history strengths. But that said, Glasgow and Channel 4 would seem a natural fit, or as the writer and broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove, who set up Channel 4’s first Glasgow office some years ago put it, an “ideal home”. Bold, innovative and with a heart, it shares the same values as Channel 4,” was how Mr Cosgrove summed it up, pretty much hitting the nail on the head.
Channel 4’s decision to launch what’s been dubbed its “4 All the UK plan” comes as its Nations & Regions content spend is set to increase from 35 per cent to 50 per cent of main channel UK commissions by 2023. This represents a figure of more than £250 million more in total.
This is a substantial sum of money and Channel 4’s move is said to reflect feedback from the industry indicating that increasing spend would have the greatest impact on regional economies and jobs. While the core job numbers of around 300 might not be enormous, the increased programming spend will also support up to 3000 additional production jobs in the Nations & Regions economy. This is not to be scoffed at and in Glasgow’s case any additional employment would substantially add to its already solid hub of broadcast media personnel. With proposed new studio space and having responsibility for some of Channel 4’s flagship shows it would also further endorse the city’s reputation as a major player in the media sector. All this, should Glasgow be successful, would be good news indeed, but whether the channel is tempted by the city’s bid remains to be seen.
Just as it should be though, there appears no lack of political will in Scotland to make it happen. That much was spelled out at Edinburgh’s Television Festival last year by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who confirmed that the Scottish Government has made it clear that if Channel 4 does decant from London, then Glasgow would be an “obvious base.”
Both at city and national government level it’s crucial now to pull out all the stops to give Glasgow’s bid the best possible chance.
If as Channel 4 says the aim of its new strategy is to reflect the diversity of UK culture and values, then Glasgow has this in abundance. As the great success of the Commonwealth Games showed, the city has nothing to fear in terms of its abilities and qualifications alongside the UK’s other great cities.
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