´óÏó´«Ã½

A decision has now been made to move ´óÏó´«Ã½ Breakfast to the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s new production hub in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester.

The move is part of the measures aimed at building a new relationship with audiences across the UK from the base in the north of England which opens next year. Teams from ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport, Children's, Learning, Radio 5 Live, FM&T and all staff in ´óÏó´«Ã½ Manchester are already due to relocate.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ will use the move of Breakfast to build on the show's current success and enhance its strong reputation for providing news and features from across the UK.

The show will also benefit from an iconic new waterside location which offers views of The Lowry Theatre, the Imperial War Museum North, the Peak District and the Manchester Ship Canal.

More than three hours per day of live ´óÏó´«Ã½ One output will now come from Salford, demonstrating the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s commitment to audiences across the UK.

Helen Boaden, Director, ´óÏó´«Ã½ News, said: "´óÏó´«Ã½ Breakfast is the most watched breakfast programme in the UK and loved by millions. It has a fantastic connection with audiences across the UK and we want to build on that. Clearly this involves personal and professional decisions for the talented team who make Breakfast but we will be supporting them to reach an informed judgement about the move."

The move will allow ´óÏó´«Ã½ Breakfast, 5 Live, current affairs and regional news services to work even more closely together, maximise their impact and bring a fresh approach to production. A stronger presence will boost opportunities for career development and increase the attractiveness of Salford as a career option – not just for ´óÏó´«Ã½ staff but those in all fields of journalism.

Peter Salmon, Director, ´óÏó´«Ã½ North, said: "The move of Breakfast is especially symbolic as it is the first time a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Network News programme will come from outside London – a real vote of confidence in our new enterprise. Today's announcement shows just how serious we are about creating a world-class media hub in the north of England by better reflecting and serving all our viewers and listeners – wherever they live."

Notes to Editors

1. ´óÏó´«Ã½ North is a key part of the Corporation's plans to better reflect and serve British audiences and boost the creative economy of the north of England. Currently just eight per cent of ´óÏó´«Ã½ programmes are made in the north despite a quarter of all licence fee payers living in the region.

2. It is likely that 88 roles across ´óÏó´«Ã½ Breakfast and operational posts will relocate. The programme will remain part of ´óÏó´«Ã½ News with editorial accountability to the Director of News.

3. There are currently more than 50 learning organisations linked to the new ´óÏó´«Ã½ North development, and staff are helping mentor and nurture new talent.

JS