DISMAY AS BBC PEBBLE MILL FACES CLOSURE

THE BBC is to close its main television studios at Pebble Mill in Birmingham.
The closure will affect ninety members of staff at the studio complex.
Union leaders are demanding a meeting with BBC Director General Dyke, and are threatening strike action to oppose the move.
Midlands MPs are also said to be furious at the decision, which raises questions about the BBC's commitment to broadcast production centres in the regions. Staff fear for the long-term future of the BBC's base in Birmingham.
Job losses will fall mainly on staff employed by BBC Resources, the corporation's production support arm. Camera operators and sound and lighting engineers will be hardest hit.
A spokesperson for the BBC said that the redundancies related "directly to the studio business and support functions".
The two studios at Pebble Mill have been used less and less recently and the closure comes as part of a cost cutting drive by Dyke.
Gerry Morrissey, the assistant general secretary of the broadcasting union BECTU, said: “It’s terrible news for television production in the Midlands. It's nonsensical, and sounds the death knell for Pebble Mill. We will fight this industrially and politically, and we will be seeking meetings at director general level. It also calls into question the BBC's stated commitment to regional broadcasting.”
BBC Resources Chief Executive Margaret Salmon told staff that over capacity and changing production patterns in the broadcasting industry as a whole meant that demand for studio facilities had changed dramatically.
The BBC will retain the small studio where it makes the area's news programme, Midlands Today, and the radio facilities, which produce 'The Archers' for Radio 4.
BBC in Birmingham will still be employing more than 600 people on a wide variety of network, local and regional television, radio and online output.
BBC Director General Greg Dyke said: “We have an absolutely solid commitment to continue commissioning network television production from Birmingham. But production techniques change and we have to recognise that.
“Closing studios does not mean cutting production. Since the BBC closed its studio in Bristol seven years ago, network production has nearly doubled, as well as increasing production for our digital channels.
“The BBC is not pulling out of England’s second city. Now that we have a much clearer picture of production requirements in Birmingham, we are in a position to give output guarantees, which will give everyone more stability. It also means we can move towards a final decision on whether to refurbish Pebble Mill or relocate to a city centre location.”
BBC Resources Head Margaret Salmon said: “While programme production from Pebble Mill is healthy, the majority of the output does not require expensive, studio facilities. Most of Pebble Mill’s network production is location based; as a result utilisation of these studios has halved in three years to around one third of capacity,”
"The changing environment and spare capacity across the industry was one of the main reasons the BBC and Granada recently joined forces in Manchester. Unfortunately we don’t have the same option in Birmingham, as Carlton moved almost all of its network production out of the city several years ago."