91Èȱ¬

Today brings a further boost to the 91Èȱ¬'s ongoing commitment to building a new relationship with audiences across the UK following yesterday's announcement that 91Èȱ¬ Breakfast will be moving north.

Key teams from Marketing, Communications & Audiences (MC&A) and Future Media & Technology (FM&T) have been informed that their roles will also be relocating to the 91Èȱ¬'s new production hub in Salford Quays as well as there being a significant increase in investment for comedy from the north of England.

Relocating FM&T teams, which comprise 75 roles, will complement those parts of the department already moving to Salford in order to make the most of the opportunity to build new and exciting content and platforms for audiences, and will be well placed to benefit from the already well established digital economy in the North West.

The 43 MC&A roles that will move are a reflection on how important the 91Èȱ¬'s new home will be, both as a destination for audiences to interact with content and services, and also as a centre of excellence for audience insight in helping the organisation grow a new relationship with audiences.

And the announcement that an additional two comedy shows will be commissioned from the base by 2012/13 represents a significant increase on the current output.

91Èȱ¬ in-house Comedy Productions is the cornerstone of British comedy, producing bold and risk-taking content loved by audiences. Developing a significant base at Salford Quays will build on this success and help grow on and off screen talent and explore new creative opportunities in the north of England.

Peter Salmon, Director 91Èȱ¬ North, said: "The past two days have been a real shot in the arm for 91Èȱ¬ North and for audiences across the UK.

"Following 91Èȱ¬ Breakfast yesterday, these announcements show the real momentum behind our new operation. This fresh wave of journalists, audience specialists and technology experts enhances the site as a major centre for the creative industries and builds on the region's heritage for great journalism and innovation.

"This reflects the federation of departments we will have in the north, a genuine cross section of the organisation, and how it is really in the interests of the whole 91Èȱ¬ to make this a success."

The 91Èȱ¬'s Director of Future Media and Technology, Erik Huggers, said: "We are as committed as ever to building a strong 91Èȱ¬ presence in the North, with FM&T at its heart. Just as Broadcasting House is associated with the rise of radio, and Television Centre with TV, I believe that MediaCity will become the 91Èȱ¬'s centre for the internet age.

"In time, 91Èȱ¬ Online will become the universal gateway to the past, present, and future of the 91Èȱ¬ – embracing our audiences within a single integrated offer across all platforms and devices. Moving our connected TV and mobile product teams north, together with a core part of 91Èȱ¬ Online, is very much part of realising this vision."

Teams already confirmed to relocate to 91Èȱ¬ North in 2011 are 91Èȱ¬ Sport, 91Èȱ¬ Children's, Radio 5 Live, Learning, parts of Future Media & Technology and all teams based at 91Èȱ¬ Manchester. Yesterday it was announced the 91Èȱ¬ Breakfast would also relocate becoming the first 91Èȱ¬ network news programme made outside of London.

Notes to Editors

1. 91Èȱ¬ North is a key part of the Corporation's plans to better reflect and serve British audiences and boost the creative economy of the north of England. Currently just eight per cent of 91Èȱ¬ programmes are made in the north despite a quarter of all licence fee payers living in the region.

2. Including yesterday's announcement around Breakfast, just over 200 new roles have been committed to the move to 91Èȱ¬ North. They are part of the existing commitment to move 1,500 roles from London to join the 800 staff from 91Èȱ¬ Manchester that will be moving.

3. FM&T in the North: With 91Èȱ¬ North set to become the 91Èȱ¬ of the internet age, a core component of the 91Èȱ¬ Online will move: the teams responsible for overall editorial, 91Èȱ¬ homepage and search functionality. With mobile devices becoming the primary point of internet access for a growing number of people, 91Èȱ¬ North will also become a hub for mobile, with the majority of the 91Èȱ¬'s mobile team moving north. FM&T's interactive gaming team complete the future media teams moving north. A number of key technology roles will also move. The Online Technology Group, responsible for building and maintaining the technical infrastructure that supports digital distribution will set up a small group in MediaCity, together with a user-experience and design (UXD) team supporting the future media product groups outlined above. Completing the FM&T contingent, a new Technology Operations team will be created to provide broad technology support and the broadcast output from Salford Quays. These 75 FM&T roles will create a strong digital team for 91Èȱ¬ North.

4. MC&A in the North will include the Media Planning team and a number of roles from studio audience and tours team.

5. The 91Èȱ¬ North base at Salford Quays is one part of the wider MediaCityUK development, further information is available here: www.mediacityuk.co.uk

MC2