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Media 2002
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Pearson is in talks with Dow Jones about the possibility of merging their newspaper printing and distribution operations in Europe, in order to cut costs. 30-Dec-2002 HIT Entertainment, the children's media rights company, has announced the loss of 70 jobs and the closure of offices in Southampton, Los Angeles and Toronto. 20-Dec-2002 Business am, the Scottish daily newspaper, is being closed by Swedish parent Bonnier with the loss of 125 jobs. 17-Dec-2002 Granada is to open a new £5m TV studio in Manchester early next year, in order to produce special editions of Coronation Street. 09-Dec-2002 Rhondda Cynon Taff Council has approved plans from Dragon International Studios for the development of a £350m film studio complex near Llantrisant by 2004, with the creation of 1,700 jobs. 09-Dec-2002 Lincolnshire Publishing Company has shed 25 newspaper production jobs at its office in Lincoln, in order to transfer some work to another site in Grimsby. 09-Dec-2002 Reed Elsevier is to shed 27 jobs at its Harcourt educational publishing business in Oxford. 04-Dec-2002 Express Newspapers is planning to launch a new free newspaper in London next spring. 04-Dec-2002 News International is planning to relocate its editorial offices to a new building on a lorry park site next to its Wapping headquarters. 03-Dec-2002 Towers Perrin has produced a government report for the creation of the Office of Communications, a new regulator for the media and communications industries that could lead to the loss of 200 of the 1,100 jobs at the five existing regulators. 03-Dec-2002 The BBC is in talks with Land Securities about the reorganisation of its £500m property portfolio, which would include the transformation of London's Broadcasting House into Europe's largest broadcasting centre with 140 studios. 25-Nov-2002 Channel 4 and Channel 5 are considering plans to merge their advertising sales operations, in order to compete with Carlton and Granada. 25-Nov-2002 Clear Channel, the US-owned radio group, is seeking a suitable site for a new 20,000 sq ft headquarters in London's West End. 25-Nov-2002 Haynes Publishing is to sell its Garage Equipment Division to EIBM Electronics in return for royalty payments. 19-Nov-2002 Reuters has announced plans to shed a further 210 jobs in its worldwide electronic information business. 18-Nov-2002 BBC Ventures is looking to reduce annual costs by £200m over the next five years, which will involve the redeployment of staff and the overhaul of its production studios. 18-Nov-2002 Forever Broadcasting is considering plans to sell all or parts of its regional radio business following an increase in losses. 14-Nov-2002 Digital Decoder Corporation is to create 20 new jobs installing the BBC's new Freeview digital TV service in Norfolk homes. 12-Nov-2002 Chorion has put its children's brands division up for sale for about £30m, in order to fend off the threat of a hostile takeover bid. 08-Nov-2002 North East Workforce, the Tyneside recruitment agency, is setting up a promotional events business with the creation of up to 200 part-time jobs. 07-Nov-2002 WPP has acquired a 25% stake in Shanghai Advertising for undisclosed terms, in order to increase its activities in China. 05-Nov-2002 Liverpool Daily Post & Echo has closed the Channel One local cable TV station with the loss of up to 22 jobs. 01-Nov-2002 MetroMail is planning to create more than 100 jobs at its direct mail business in Peterlee, and is seeking a suitable site for a new larger headquarters. 28-Oct-2002 S4C is relocating its Viewers' Hotline from Cardiff to a new call centre operated by GALW in Porthmadog. 25-Oct-2002 The Daily Express newspaper is considering plans to relocate up to 100 jobs from London to Broughton in Lancashire, and is also expected to find new premises for the staff that remain in London. 23-Oct-2002 Channel 4 has announced plans to shed 122 jobs in its main TV business, and further cuts will affect its 4 Ventures commercial arm. 18-Oct-2002 Trinity Mirror has announced that 92 jobs will be lost in Birmingham and Coventry when its newspaper printing operations are moved to a new £60m site at Fort Dunlop in 2004. 17-Oct-2002 Communisis is to acquire the SR Communications response management and mailing centre in Leicester. 15-Oct-2002 Max Spielmann is to close its film processing plant in Wirral, but some of the 50 staff will be offered employment at its new distribution centre nearby. 15-Oct-2002 The Photographers Gallery is seeking a suitable 25,000 sq ft site in London to open an office, gallery and bookshop. 14-Oct-2002 John Howitt Group is planning to build a 560,000 sq ft printing plant at Sutton-in-Ashfield to produce magazines, newspaper supplements and catalogues, with the creation of up to 380 jobs. 10-Oct-2002 Capita is to close offices in Darlington, Birmingham and Aldershot by March 2003, with the loss of about 50 jobs, in order to centralise its TV licensing operations in Darwin, Lancashire. 09-Oct-2002 Hobsons is to close its publishing office in Cambridge with the loss of up to 60 jobs, in order to relocate the work to its London head office. 02-Oct-2002 Daily Mail & General Trust has announced a £10m restructuring programme that will cover the cost of closing a printing plant in Tamworth with the loss of 100 jobs. 24-Sep-2002 Cornwall & Devon Media is seeking permission to build a new £4m headquarters in Truro, which would involve the relocation of 150 staff. 20-Sep-2002 The BBC has won government approval to launch the BBC3 digital TV channel, which will target 25 to 34-year olds and use £97m of licence fee cash each year. 18-Sep-2002 Granada and Carlton are planning to invest a record £825m in new programming for ITV next year. 18-Sep-2002 Ingenta is to reorganise its online academic publishing operations with the loss of 30 jobs, in order to save £3m a year. 17-Sep-2002 SMG is looking to sell its Scottish newspaper publishing operations, in order to focus on the national advertising market. 11-Sep-2002 Infonxxhas confirmed plans to set up a call centre in Cardiff for its new directory enquiries service, and will create up to 700 jobs. 06-Sep-2002 GWR is planning to launch a TV version of the Classic FM radio station next year. 04-Sep-2002 Wolff Olins is to shed at least 12 of the 134 jobs in its brand consultancy business. 29-Aug-2002 Carlton Communications is to set up a production company on the east coast of the US, in order to expand its output of TV documentaries. 28-Aug-2002 Reuters is considering plans to rationalise its London offices, which could lead to a sale and leaseback deal, and NM Rothschild has been appointed to investigate the various options. 19-Aug-2002 Pearson is to launch a new book publishing venture in Ireland through its Penguin division, and has expanded its US educational business with the acquisition of the art history textbook list of Harry N Abrams. 14-Aug-2002 Scottish Media Group is planning to start the regional roll-out of its Virgin Radio FM format by seeking a licence in the West Midlands, and has already started looking for a suitable base in Birmingham. 13-Aug-2002 BT has announced plans to re-enter the directories market following the acquisition of Scoot, which will involve a new integrated multimedia information service to provide telephone numbers via the web, phone and printed directories. 07-Aug-2002 BBC East is to set up a 15,550 sq ft multimedia broadcasting centre at the Forum development in Norwich. 05-Aug-2002 The BBC has confirmed plans to spend £2.8bn revamping its property portfolio, including new regional headquarters in Birmingham and Glasgow, the relocation of its news operation to London's Broadcasting House and the creation of an open media campus in White City. 26-Jul-2002 Woolworths has announced that its VCI subsidiary has acquired a 76% stake in Banana Split Productions, the video and TV production company, for up to £2m. 25-Jul-2002 Experian has announced plans to build a new 170,000 sq ft office complex at the former Royal Ordnance site in Nottingham, and up to 1,500 staff will be relocated from existing sites in the city. 24-Jul-2002 Mean Fiddler is expanding into continental Europe through the acquisition of a 25% stake in Germany's Bizarre music festival. 23-Jul-2002 Capita Group is creating more than 200 jobs at a former cotton mill in Darwen, which has been transformed into a TV licensing call centre to handle its new contract from the BBC. 22-Jul-2002 Financial Dynamics is setting up an international network of public relations firms called FD International, combining the activities of eight communications consultancies. 16-Jul-2002 The BBC World Service is to receive a £48m budget increase, which will go towards an increase in Asian output. 16-Jul-2002 MotionPoster, the moving-picture advertising company, is seeking fresh funding as its banking facilities have been exceeded and its shares suspended. 11-Jul-2002 Artsworld, the digital TV arts channel backed by Guardian Media Group, is to close at the end of this month. 11-Jul-2002 Channel 4 is planning to close its FilmFour sales and distribution operations with "significant job losses", and the production division will be combined with its main TV business. 10-Jul-2002 Pedagog of Risca has secured a £1m investment from Finance Wales to fund the development of video technology for mobile phones. 10-Jul-2002 The BBC has won the digital TV licence remaining from the collapse of ITV Digital, in partnership with BSkyB and transmission company Crown Castle. 04-Jul-2002 Capita Group is setting up a new administration office and call centre in Bristol's Temple Street to manage its 10-year contract for the BBC's licence system. 04-Jul-2002 Derby City Council is launching a feasibility study into the development of a £8m visual arts and media facility in the city centre, in partnership with Metro Cinema, Q-Arts and Media Archive for Central England. 04-Jul-2002 Air Music & Media, the music rights company, is to raise £8m in a flotation on Aim. 01-Jul-2002 Expomedia is to acquire a 51% stake in publications owned by Mash Media Services, the publisher of information for the exhibition and events industry, for up to £0.8m. 25-Jun-2002 Infonxx, the US directory enquiries companies, is considering plans to set up a call centre in Cardiff with the creation of up to 200 jobs. 25-Jun-2002 Reuters has announced plans to shed a further 650 management jobs in its electronic information business. 21-Jun-2002 Daily Mail & General Trust is planning to acquire the newspaper publishing interests of Leek-based Hill Brothers Group, in order to expand its Northcliffe Newspapers regional newspaper division. 21-Jun-2002 Telewest is to shed 250 jobs at its call centre in Knowsley over the next three months, but 198 jobs will be created at the nearby Albert Dock site due to an expansion of its Blueyonder broadband internet service. 17-Jun-2002 Carlton Communications and Granada have gained control of the ITN News Channel by acquiring the 65% stake held by ITN, and will relaunch the service to compete with other rolling news channels. 13-Jun-2002 Saga Radio has won a licence from the Radio Authority to establish a new radio station for the over-50s in the East Midlands. 13-Jun-2002 The BBC and BSkyB are discussing plans for a joint venture to create a digital terrestrial TV service to replace the collapsed ITV Digital. 12-Jun-2002 Newsquest Media has acquired a 17,500 sq ft office at Caxton Court in Watford to accommodate the Watford Observer. 10-Jun-2002 Video Networks, the London-based provider of broadband video-on-demand services, is to shed 300 of its 600-strong workforce. 06-Jun-2002 Emap is looking to spend up to £373m on acquisitions to expand its radio and magazines business. 29-May-2002 GWR has announced plans to sell its radio stations in Finland, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria and Australia, in order to raise £70m and focus its business on the UK. 28-May-2002 Abel & Baker UK, the advertising agency, is in talks with a number of potential buyers after its Swedish parent company went into liquidation. 27-May-2002 The Radio Authority is to advertise a further 12 commercial FM radio licences early next year, including coverage of the West Midlands, Cornwall and Glasgow. 24-May-2002 Yell, the phone directories company, is planning to raise £750m in a flotation, and most of the proceeds will be used to reduce debt. 24-May-2002 Bloomsbury has acquired the Whitaker's Almanack reference book from The Stationery Office for £0.75m. 21-May-2002 Ministry of Sound, the nightclubs group, is considering plans for a flotation at the end of this year, in order to fund acquisitions in music, radio and publishing. 21-May-2002 Advanced Rendering Technology, the Cambridge-based developer of 3D animation systems with less than 20 staff, is in negotiations with a number of potential companies interested in buying it out of administration. 20-May-2002 Capital Radio is looking to spend up to £100m acquiring more radio stations across the country. 20-May-2002 Linguaphone has raised £1.9m in a share offer to fund the expansion of its language training business, increase its internet presence and develop new products. 07-May-2002 CreaTVty, the London-based producer of TV documentaries, is to close with the loss of up to 50 jobs. 06-May-2002 Uovo is to restructure its e-business agency following its acquisition by Fi System of France, and Fi's London-based staff will relocate to the Uovo office in Beaconsfield. 06-May-2002 Telewest has announced plans to shed 1,500 jobs in its cable TV business, in order to save up to £50m a year. 03-May-2002 ITV Digital is to be taken off the air with the loss of up to 1,500 jobs at call centres in Pembroke and Plymouth and at its London headquarters. 01-May-2002 WPP has acquired a 60% stake in BrandOne Advertising, the Chinese direct marketing company with 22 staff, in order to expand its OgilvyOne Worldwide business. 26-Apr-2002 Trinity Mirror has sold the Sunday Business Post in Ireland to Thomas Crosbie Holdings for about £6m. 25-Apr-2002 Video Networks, the supplier of broadband video-on-demand services, is seeking fresh funds to survive, and talks are taking place with investors. 25-Apr-2002 NTL is to close its office in Huddersfield town centre in May and relocate the 39 staff to other sites. 24-Apr-2002 Derwent Information is setting up a scientific publishing office in Glasgow, with the creation of 51 jobs. 23-Apr-2002 Taylor & Francis is to relocate its journal publishing business and about 130 staff from sites in Abingdon, Reading and London to Milton Park, near Didcot. 23-Apr-2002 NEMC is to create 50 new jobs at its Washington-based mailing business, to provide fulfilment and call centre services. 18-Apr-2002 Ulster Television has paid £1m for a 50% stake in BOCOM International, the Irish company that broadcasts advertising to screens in supermarkets and airports. 18-Apr-2002 Trinity Mirror has announced plans for the £20m relaunch of The Mirror and Sunday Mirror newspapers. 16-Apr-2002 Corinthian Television Facilities, the TV production company, is to set up an 85,000 sq ft headquarters in Chiswick Park. 15-Apr-2002 Granada Media is to invest £1m in Anglia Television's Magdalen Street studios in Norwich to create a new centre for daytime programming, but the Hardwick House site will be closed with the loss of 25 jobs. 10-Apr-2002 Leeds College of Music is building a £5m music, TV and radio studio at Quarry Hill in partnership with the BBC and Leeds City Council, and the work is being carried out by Rushbond. 09-Apr-2002 NTL is creating a further 70 call centre jobs in Swansea and 30 in Cardiff to cope with rising demand for its broadband internet service. 08-Apr-2002 The British Film Institute has revealed plans for the development of a £35m film centre, including five cinemas, at the South Bank Centre in London. 08-Apr-2002 Telewest is to raise £28m from the sale of its 37% stake in the TV Travelshop channel to USA Networks. 03-Apr-2002 CSS Stellar is raising £9.4m in a share placing, in order to reduce debt and expand its sports and entertainment management business. 22-Mar-2002 EMI is to shed 1,800 jobs in its worldwide music business, in order to reduce costs by £98m a year by 2004. 21-Mar-2002 Littlewoods and Granada are to close their Shop! home shopping channel next month, with the loss of up to 200 jobs in Liverpool. 15-Mar-2002 Taylor & Francis has proposed a £300m takeover bid for Blackwell Publishing. 13-Mar-2002 EMI is to close a CD manufacturing plant in Swindon with the loss of 192 jobs, in order to transfer production to the Netherlands. 11-Mar-2002 Selfridges is considering plans to launch an in-store TV channel in partnership with the Instrumental Media Group. 11-Mar-2002 Sportech has won a five-year contract to provide interactive betting and gaming services to ITV. 06-Mar-2002 British Telecom has won a 15-year broadcasting licence from the Independent Television Commission, which could involve forming partnerships to distribute TV programmes. 06-Mar-2002 United Business Media is looking to spend up to £400m on acquisitions, and is particularly interested in market research and business service companies in the US and Europe. 06-Mar-2002 Trinity Mirror has announced plans to invest £60m in a new press site at the Fort Dunlop development in Birmingham by 2004, and additional investment will be made in new presses in the North East and Cardiff. 04-Mar-2002 Pearson is planning to auction off its FT Business division, which includes a number of finance magazines, and is expected to raise up to £70m. 26-Feb-2002 Butterworths Tolley is seeking a suitable location in London for a new 100,000 sq ft headquarters for its law publishing business, and is expected to vacate its Chancery Lane site next year. 25-Feb-2002 Capital Radio has acquired Big AM's radio broadcasting licences in Manchester from The Wireless Group for £0.25m. 20-Feb-2002 East Devon District Council is to consider plans from the Full Picture Company for the development of a £66m film and TV production centre on a 200-acre site at Greendale Barton near Exeter, which will create about 200 jobs. 18-Feb-2002 SBN, the national student radio network, is to be sold by Channelfly to Campus Media, in preparation for a £2.5m share placing that will fund the expansion of the broadcasting business. 18-Feb-2002 EMI is considering plans to sell off non-core assets in order to reduce debt, which could involve the disposal of its 43% stake in HMV Media and a review of its £285m property portfolio and its high-street music retailing business. 15-Feb-2002 EMI is to restructure its record label business under the Capitol and Virgin brands, with EMI only being used for corporate purposes. 08-Feb-2002 Telesgop is to relocate its Llandeilo-based TV production business and 30 staff to the new £10m Media Technium centre being developed for up to 30 companies at nearby Gelli Aur. 07-Feb-2002 South Birmingham College is to start work on the development of a £16m arts and digital media centre in the summer. 05-Feb-2002 Capital Radio and the Walt Disney Company are forming a new digital radio channel for children called Capital Disney. 05-Feb-2002 BBC Wales is said to have identified three potential sites for a new £50m 170,000 sq ft headquarters in Cardiff Bay. 04-Feb-2002 The BBC is to shed about 40 of the 80 staff at its Beeb.com online shopping business. 30-Jan-2002 The Industrial Development Board has helped Digital Theater Systems of the US relocate its audio technology research and development centre to Bangor, with the creation of 18 jobs. 29-Jan-2002 Oxford City Council is considering plans from Newsquest for the construction of a new £20m press hall at its newspaper publishing site at Osney Mead. 28-Jan-2002 The BBC is to set up a new commercial subsidiary from its BBC Broadcast operation, which employs 750 staff in the management of 17 TV channels, five national radio networks and 39 local stations. 24-Jan-2002 Acxiom is planning to recruit a further 100 staff at its 2Touch telesales outsourcing call centre in Sunderland, taking the workforce to 700. 23-Jan-2002 Guardian Newspapers is planning to shed a further 35 jobs in its national newspaper business by March. 18-Jan-2002 MetroMail is creating 40 new jobs at its direct mail business in Peterlee, with vacancies in mail production, laser printing, warehousing and engineering. 18-Jan-2002 Channel 5 has reached agreement with shareholders for a £3m increase in its programming budget this year. 18-Jan-2002 Faulds Advertising of Edinburgh is seeking acquisitions and expansion opportunities in London and Manchester following a management buy-out of the group. 11-Jan-2002 GWR Group has sold its six remaining Classic Gold AM radio licences to Classic Gold Digital for £1.7m. 08-Jan-2002 The BBC is to spend up to £20m marketing its digital services this year, including the launch of two new children's channels next month. 08-Jan-2002 Highbury House Communications has acquired three magazine titles - Fast Bikes from Sports Report and Inspirations For Your Home and Garden Inspirations from GE Magazines. 07-Jan-2002 Pacific Century Cyberworks is planning to shed a significant number of the 400 jobs at its internet content studios in London, in order to reduce the number of programmes made for the broadband TV service. 03-Jan-2002 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. Click here for further details Copyright UK Business Park 1995-2007