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Stop press: Channel M | Print |  Email to a friend
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
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A staff meeting at Channel M was called this morning at 10.30 am and has just finished. How-Do understands that although the station will continue to broadcast, there will be no further original programming on the station as from Friday. The number employed at the station will fall from the current 33 to four. 

The options for the future of Channel M have been under review since the announcement of the sale of GMG Regional Media to Trinity Mirror.

Chris Wade of GMG has told How-Do that “We have today informed staff that, despite interest from a number of parties, a viable offer for the station has not emerged.

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"Following the review of Channel M, we have reached the conclusion that the station is no longer sustainable in its current form. This is due to a number of factors, including the absence of a committed buyer, the loss of access to news from MEN Media, and the costs associated with the requirement to leave the Urbis building.

"As a result, from this Friday the station will no longer broadcast evening magazine show Channel M Today, and will cease production of original news and features video. Channel M will remain on air, focusing in the short-term on a mixture of archive material, traffic and networked news.  

"We regret to announce that as a consequence of these changes the company proposes to reduce the number of people employed by Channel M from 33 to four. The company is in consultation with those affected.

"GMG will remain the owner and operator of both Channel M and the associated Freeview multiplex business in Manchester."

 

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  Comments (24)
RSS comments
 1 By New Dawn, on 17-03-2010 12:27
Well then, say hello to Manchester Teleshopping! Among the first items up on offer this morning are; 
5 sony studio broadcast cameras 
10 Final Cut software packages 
5 mini Macs 
Two sofas 
Three sets of radio clip mikes 
Overhead lighting gantry
 2 By Not Surprised, on 17-03-2010 12:52
Could never understand why Channel M ever took on board all those people from BBC Radio Manchester?? 
 
"Hey I've got a great idea; lets start a local TV station in Manchester and get a bunch of people from the "worst performing" BBC local radio station in the country - to help run it." 
Yeah brilliant!!!!!!!
 3 By Mordor She Wrote, on 17-03-2010 12:53
Monday was D-Dayy...staff of 35 (plus freelanceers), nine retained, not too far off How-Do...
 4 By Shameless, on 17-03-2010 12:53
Surely most of that lot will have been pinched before all the staff are locked out.
 5 By Mike Flex, on 17-03-2010 13:23
Shameless wrote: 
 
'Surely most of that lot will have been pinched before all the staff are locked out.' 
 
Unlikely given the sad state of regional TV and using as example the number of staff who secured work in the industry after the last lay off happened in May/June. Many have relocated and secured work, some remain working here but I think far more are taking enforced career breaks etc.
 6 By gutted, on 17-03-2010 13:37
Those taking enforced career breaks were obviously in the wrong career then? Thoese (who were any good) are all employed in the media sector. 
 
a real shame for channel m but the talented people will find no problem securing work in the industry.
 7 By Scott Free, on 17-03-2010 13:38
I really feel sad for some brilliant and creative staff at Channel M. 
Unfortunately, its management, who got the channel into the mire, mostly all jumped ship last May.  
I understand, most got senior managerial jobs with the GMG weeklies where circulations have since taken huge downturns.  
The question is where will they run to next under Trinity Mirror?
 8 By Also gutted, on 17-03-2010 13:53
Yeah. In my experience, quite a few of the talentless people have secured work in the industry too - and they still have jobs.
 9 By Mike Flex, on 17-03-2010 13:51
It'll take time Gutted, no overnight panacea. Besides Channel M staff have had 9 months notice that this might happen, sure they've all been looking in that time and a few lucky ones have moved on but not many. 
 
You seem to imply that they'll finish work on Friday and be working elsewhere the following Monday and that's very unlikely regretfully! It'll take time, might require relocation etc.
 10 By Mike Roffone, on 17-03-2010 16:03
I'd be amazed if there's a show tonight. What's the incentive for the remaining staff to even turn the power on after being treated so shabbily?
 11 By Lee, on 17-03-2010 16:56
Mr Roffone... as someone has said, the writing has been on the wall for Channel M for near on a year, I think the remaining staff had plenty of unannouced notice that their was no future for the channel. 
 
At the end of the day, being employed by GMG, they will get more than an adequate redundancy package, and so the staff should work as normal until Friday, yes its hard but it's not like they are not getting paid is it. 
 
How many of the posters here are disgruntled employees I wonder...
 12 By Soldiering On, on 17-03-2010 16:57
By Mike Roffone "I'd be amazed if there's a show tonight. What's the incentive for the remaining staff to even turn the power on after being treated so shabbily?" 
 
Well - they appear to be there!
 13 By Anna, on 17-03-2010 16:27
'a real shame for channel m but the talented people will find no problem securing work in the industry.' 
 
Ye right Gutted, dream on kidda
 14 By tubby telly, on 17-03-2010 16:54
I'd be amazed if there's a show tonight. What's the incentive for the remaining staff to even turn the power on after being treated so shabbily? 
 
 
...probably because they're all professionals? How have they been treated shabbily - GMG wanted out and they are going with a payoff. Not ideal but certainly not shabby. 
Don't judge everyone by your own low standards
 15 By Anna, on 17-03-2010 18:05
Bit of reality here Channel M only produce an hour of TV per day with 33 staff. Can't see that being too hard professionally tubby tele?
 16 By larry, on 17-03-2010 18:06
to Anna 
what's up, no-one replied to your 100s of letters and CVs?? 
the BBC departments will be creaming themselves that so much talent is about to walk their way and then upwards through their mis managed hierachy. 
if you worked in the Media / Broadcast sector (unlikely judging by your insightful post!) you'll know it is a rough tough world with no room for sentiment or timewasters. 
Which makes it a shame for channel m but as one door closes another opens. 
 
most posters on here just don't have that mentality and like sheep, spew out the same old cr@p about ch m
 17 By Anna, on 17-03-2010 18:57
That's right larry keep taking the medication, loving your delusions of grandeau.  
Raised a glass to your success which I'm sure's well deserved, looking forward to the career heights of teleshopping by any chance?
 18 By Mordor She Wrote, on 18-03-2010 00:33
Larry are you suggsting that the BBC has been gleefully anticipating the demise of Channel M as a recruitment bonanza? Doesn't it crosss your mind that if these people could secure and sustain a job at the beeb then they wouldn't be at Channel M in the first place? The laws of physics suggest that somewhere, sometime there is a universe in which you are correct, but not this one. Sorry.
 19 By Captain Chaos, on 18-03-2010 09:31
It's 'delusions of grandeur' Anna.  
 
33 staff would include security, IT and engineering support, admin, commercial production, scheduling, camera operators (both field and studio), editors, producers, presenters, sound, floor manager, studio director, etc. Now figure in sickness and holiday cover, not to mention shift work and the odd manager here and there. 
 
Your comments simply underline your total lack of understanding regarding both the running of a business and the broadcast industry as a whole.
 20 By Johnny Boy, on 19-03-2010 06:56
Mordor .... I could have worked at the BBC, but chose to stay with the M for reasons which you would probably not understand. 
 
Believe it or not, 'auntie' is not everyone's cup of tea. 
 
With regard to the mighty M ..... there is a light that never goes out ... and I'll turn them off when I leave. 
 
Read between the lines.
 21 By BBC Fan, on 19-03-2010 07:19
Extensive coverage of the Channel M story in the MEN then? 
Or a case of a good day to bury bad news?
 22 By Moral majority, on 25-03-2010 13:06
Feel sorry for the people who may lose their jobs, but c'mon did anyone really watch it, after all it was utter crap!
 23 By Captain Chaos, on 25-03-2010 15:33
By Moral majority, on 25-03-2010 14:06  
Feel sorry for the people who may lose their jobs, but c'mon did anyone really watch it, after all it was utter crap! 
 
Yes, I did, and it wasn't utter crap..... 
 
...and as for you genuinely feeling sorry for these people, yeah right...
 24 By INFO FOR HOW-DO EDITOR, on 26-03-2010 09:14
Looks like the final few shovels full of soil are being tamped down on the grave of Channel M - clicking on their website now takes you to GMG - try it for yourself; 
www.channelm.co.uk 
Also, there is speculation that Dodson might fill McCall's space - a suggestion so preposterous as to be barely credible. You did such a good job of wrecking the regionals and the telly, that we'd like you to do the same for the Guardian. Yeah....right...

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