Birmingham shortlisted for Channel 4 ‘headquarters’
CHANNEL 4 has announced that Birmingham is one of just three contenders to be the site of its new ‘national headquarters’.
The city made it through to the final stage of the contest to choose a new home for the broadcaster.
Other candidates in the top three are Greater Manchester and Leeds.
But there was bad news for Coventry, which had also submitted a bid.
It has been told it will not be the main headquarters for Channel 4, after its proposal was rejected.
The West Midlands had been in an unusual position because it submitted two proposals, one for Coventry and one for Birmingham, both of them backed by regional leaders such as the mayor.
Channel 4 is to open a ‘national headquarters’ to operate alongside its existing headquarters in London, and two smaller hubs.
Channel 4 says 300 jobs will be moved out of London.
The national headquarters will include a state-of-the-art studio that will be used to produce programmes and events as well as live broadcasts.
There will also be a new digital production unit to create short digital content targeted at young audiences.
Channel 4 managers announced in May that Birmingham had made it to a shortlist of eight contenders, after they received bids to host the new HQ from towns and cities across the country.
This was followed by a visit to the city in June, when top executives saw a detailed pitch from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and others.
But Coventry’s conservative leader Gary Ridley hit back at the decision of Channel 4 to snub Coventry.
Following the news that the city lost out on the HQ and a creative hub bids, Cllr Ridley said the broadcaster had shown a ‘lack of vision’, ignoring the 2021 City of Culture.
It is a blow for Coventry which would have benefited from a major economic boost if the heavyweight public service broadcaster decided to move there.
Cllr Ridley said on: “This is very disappointing news.
“As a city there’s still a lot to be positive about and we need to dust ourselves down and move forward.
“I’m afraid Channel 4 have shown a lack of vision by not moving to Coventry – being based in the City of Culture would have been an amazing way to reinvigorate the channel4 brand.”
Council leader George Duggins also criticised the decision but said Coventry will now throw its weight behind the Birmingham bid.
He said: “We are naturally disappointed at the announcement.
“Although we believed Coventry was the perfect choice, if it wasn’t to be us, the next best result is for Channel 4 to select a location in the vicinity.
“Therefore, it is good to see Birmingham is still in the running to host Channel 4 and we wish them well in their endeavours.”