Welcome to the weekly Wrap from How-Do - media news for the North West.

The Wrap's guest editor this week is Huw Morris

  The creative, digital and media industry, like many other industries in the region, seems to be split in half at the moment. Half of the industry is going up and the other half is going down.

As this edition of the Wrap demonstrates, there are continued woes at the MEN, Channel M and Newsquest. Meanwhile many businesses are prospering from the imminent arrival of the Arts Council and the BBC’s move to Salford, as well as the continued expansion of digital and internet retailing.

These divides in fortune are not limited to business. The recent Manchester Independent Economic Review (MIER) revealed a city of two halves with centres of great wealth, but also pockets of significant deprivation. It would appear that the investment in bricks and mortar in the recent past has not helped all sections of the community to raise their aspirations and skills, or helped all to find new wealth.

Looking to the future, there are signs that these divides in fortune could be reduced. The widespread use of broadband, 3Gg and wireless technologies means that there are very few people in the city who will not be connected. What is missing at the moment are sufficient numbers of people with the skills to use these technologies and businesses geared up to making money from their skills and talents.

Perhaps this is where the universities can come in - or at least where they should come in. In Manchester alone, the universities teach over 100,000 students, lead research in art, education, humanities, medicine, science and technology and generate a combined turnover of over £1bn per year. Together they are part of the largest concentration of higher education in Europe.

If the strengths of the universities can be opened up, there is hope that we can all benefit from the current technological revolution.

At MMU, we are determined to make our staff, students and equipment more available through initiatives like Creative Manchester which launched at the How-Do Awards last week. Creative Manchester aims to bring together companies and individuals across the region to help sustain the future of creativity. Perhaps you could help to make this happen?

Huw Morris is Dean of Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

Other stories on How-Do this week: 

• Speeding up in the Slowdown – a How-Do half day conference – Thurs 4 June
• Finch signed by Manchester United
• NWDA to bring Londoners to the region with Vivid push
• Benidorm Tourist Board appoints Mere PR
• Digital countdown marked with on screen messages for Granada region
• 47 per cent of BBC senior managers agree to make the move to MediaCity
• Social Technologies Summit announces more speakers
• Cheshire music festival Whatfest signs Profile Communication
• Thomas Cook Sport looks to Wilson Cooke for digital briefs
• Hastings Direct hands SEO to MVI
• MEN loses head of online editorial Sarah Hartley
• Umbro shows Manchester united
• EMS wins six figure contract from US firm Infinera
• Hollyoaks tops British Soap Awards shortlist
• More cutbacks for Newsquest with round of compulsory redundancies
• Huge BBC direct marketing brief up for grabs
• Creative Concern unveils new look for Riverside
• Video: Kellogg's £3m 'free cereal' campaign from CBJWT
• Gaydio launches search for volunteers
• RTS hosts an evening with Lime Pictures' Tony Wood
• Editor Kerry Spencer leaves Waterfront Magazine
• ICE is a Mickey Mouse agency after £1.2m wins
• Key 103 leads the way in Arqiva Awards
• What's the greatest ever Manchester song? NME Radio set to decide
• Re-brand helps work wonders for Co-op
• Latitude reports sparkling figures and seeks acquisitions
• Mando releases taxing site for Brookson
• Code misses out on seven figure Seat task
• Clear opts for toilet humour to sell shoes
• Tangerine gets Man Utd Soccer Schools result
• Trinity Mirror turns to Million-2-1 for mobile gaming
• Three feature films chosen for Edinburgh Film Festival
• Northern expansion at Ten Alps
• City Talk and Key 103 slide in latest Rajars
• Peel Media adds to MediaCityUK team
• Documentaries and prizes for North West film makers
• Darwen Reporter calls it a day
• Senior staff go in MEN redundancy rounds
• SKV turns its hand to film for Bury Council with Danny Boyle
• Ethos win rail contract
• The How-Do Retail Forum - in association with Brilliant Media

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Comments (1)

1  By George Dearsley , on 08-05-2009 13:34 Is it any wonder the media half is "going down"....this from Derby University's website extolling the wonders of its journalism course. Colin is currently wirting (sic) a research publication, Write Across the Media. Report