ITV to close Kirkstall Road studio as part of cost cutting

simong · Post by **simong** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 7:55 pm

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 07.jpWhere is this going to leave regional programming I wonder? All moved to *gulp* Manchester?

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 8:00 pm

What with Tetleys closing and now this.I don't think there going to be happy until they've taken the pudding out of Yorkshire as well!

simong · Post by **simong** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 8:20 pm

Emmerdale is staying here, and it has a production centre in Farsley as well as the set at Harewood, but as I've mentioned before, Granada considered combining Corrie and Emmerdale at a new site at Borehamwood about ten years ago. Still, there's another exploration on the cards for you, Phill.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 9:14 pm

Bad news indeed - for the staff and for us viewers. I would have thought the last thing we wanted would be less regional programming and yet more London focused output...Still, how do we get Phill into the YTV buildings before they go...?

biggee99 · Post by **biggee99** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 9:15 pm

No jobs are safe guys not looking good the riots are next by the end of the year i have never seen times like this. never have banks gone bust before sorry to sound like doom and gloom guys.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 9:43 pm

I think it's really bad news for the status of the city. A centre where national programmes are made did wonders for Leeds's national profile. With the soccer team languishing in the third tier, Tetleys closing, the loss of an air link to London, one has to ask "What next?"

Post by **cnosni** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 11:46 pm

raveydavey wrote: Bad news indeed - for the staff and for us viewers. I would have thought the last thing we wanted would be less regional programming and yet more London focused output...Still, how do we get Phill into the YTV buildings before they go...? Well we did it with the olympics.....

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Wed 04 Mar, 2009 11:59 pm

raveydavey wrote: Bad news indeed - for the staff and for us viewers. I would have thought the last thing we wanted would be less regional programming and yet more London focused output... I don't think those who control broadcasting agree with you on that point. They seem to think programmes about, involving, Londoners are endlessly fascinating to the rest of us.I used to be a huge fan of Radio 4's "Home Truths" on Saturday mornings. Obviously John Peel had a lot to do with that, but the other presenters like David Stafford were also interesting. But the main attraction for me was the huge swathe of this country it covered. Items from East Anglia to West Wales, from Derry to Kent, from the Channel Islands to the Shetlands and everywhere in between were featured. It's replacement is studio based and mostly about the usual London and Londoners.There were a lot of protests at the time (2006) but to no avail. London always wins.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Thu 05 Mar, 2009 12:04 am

cnosni wrote: raveydavey wrote: Bad news indeed - for the staff and for us viewers. I would have thought the last thing we wanted would be less regional programming and yet more London focused output...Still, how do we get Phill into the YTV buildings before they go...? Well we did it with the olympics..... I've already got my thinking head on mate.Give it a few days when the dust has settled and we'll see

Post by **cnosni** » Thu 05 Mar, 2009 12:05 am

Without sounding like a scratched record i believe that Leeds is once again the victim of a national company saving money,like with Barnbow,Tetleys, is because those in the position of making the savings will realise that all they will get in Leeds is a couple of laments and then it will all go quiet.Unlike Manc,Liverpool,Newcastle and Sheffield we are all guilty of sitting back and leting these sorts of things happen without much protest,and thus bad publicity for the cost cutters this would create.YTV isnt being shut for any other reason than saving.Its years of quality output (dont mention 3 2 1)stand testament to the skill and creativity of those who worked there over the years.Just imagine if they shut Granada in Manc (whos estate value would be higher than Kirkstall Road),you would have a load of protestors from Luvvies to Lardies.In fact,apart from Corrie and Cracker id say that the quality hit series produced by YTV surpassed that over the other side of the Pennines.I suppose the purchase of YTV by Granada was the precurser to eventual cost cutting,its just that this particular climate has ended up not so much with a trim but grade 1 cut,right down to the scalp.