History - BBC North Regional Broadcasting
BBC North West began life in the late 1920s as a large supersize region - BBC North. It covered the North West, North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire. In 1962 BBC North East was created with a dedicated regional news programme "Home at Six" The remaining North region was served with "North at Six" Then in 1968 the region was split up into 2 smaller regions with bases in Manchester and Leeds.
Dickenson Road
The first BBC North West studios were at Dickenson Road when the BBC bought the studios from Mancunian Films in 1954, who had converted it from a former church based in South Manchester's Rusholme. It housed the newly formed regional network programmes production base.
Broadcasting House
When a dedicated regional news service for the North West began in 1968 this came from Broadcasting House based in Piccadilly, a former hotel, which became a bank, whilst network production continued from Dickinson Road.
Broadcasting House was leased in the 1920s from a bank which was on the ground floor. It consisted of a number of radio studios, a newsroom, bar, canteen, Central Apparatus Room (CAR), Radio Manchester and TV Studios N and P. There were also several bedrooms where staff could sleep overnight for an early morning work.
The last main edition of Look North West broadcast from the BBC's Piccadilly studios was on Friday 15th May 1981. David Davies and John Mundy presented the very last programme "Sports North West" the following day on Saturday 16th 1981.
New Broadcasting House
BBC New Broadcasting House in Manchester was officially opened by James Callaghan in 1976. Designed with a big studio to house it's main network production base from Dickinson Road. Broadcasting House in Piccadilly was vacated in 1981 when Studio B in Oxford Road had finished construction ready for regional news to move in.
Its production base has produced thousands of hours of programming from it's base on Oxford Road. Including The Old Grey Whistle Test, Make Way For The Music, A Question Of Sport, Cheggars Plays Pop, Red Dwarf. In 1992 one of the BBC's most innovative departments was created - Youth & Entertainment lead by Janet Street Porter. It created hit series like Rough Guides, Reportage, Dance Energy, The Full Wax and No Limits.
Manchester has also produced daytime output including People Today, Open Air. Today it still produces the long running quiz show A Question of Sport, Mastermind and Songs of Praise. Other departments based in Oxford Road over the decades have included BBC Entertainment, BBC Religion, BBC News and Current Affairs. Children's BBC and BBC Sport Outside Broadcasts.
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra have also based been based here in the purpose built Studio 7 Concert Hall.
MediaCity UK
MediaCityUK is the new creative hub in Salford for key tenants - BBC North and ITV. A 200 acre site owned by Peel Media, located in Salford Keys on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, next to The Lowry Outlet Mall, Lowry Theatre and Imperial War Museum North.
In May 2011 the BBC started to occupy 3 new buildings. All departments from the BBC's Manchester Oxford Road base will move to Salford including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, entertainment, religion, local programmes and local and national radio departments. More departments from London moving to Salford include CBBC, Cbeebies, BBC Sport, Learning, Breakfast, Radio5Live and Future Media.
ITV announced in December 2010 that it would also move its staff to a building at Media City, plus a brand new purpose built block housing the continuing drama Coronation Street on the opposite side of the river to Media City.
Peel Media and SIS own and operate the 7 tv studios for hire. The first TV programme to be filmed was Don't Scare the Hare for BBC One and the first live tv broadcast happened on March24th 2011 with a BBC News special - School Report.
