Call to save Nottingham studios

BECTU is demanding assurances that Carlton's Nottingham studios will stay open.

The union is seeking these assurances following news that the current series of Crossroads is to end in early summer, and is determined that the studios should continue with substantial programme production.

"Any further closures of studios outside London will be seen as a nail in the coffin of TV production in the regions," commented BECTU national official Nigel Mason.

The union points out that in 1993 Central's programme production for the network was 320 hours; by 2000 it had dropped to just 95 hours. Also in 2000 four ITV franchises made no programmes at all for the network while others have collapsed down to a fraction of their previous output.

"BECTU is determined to defend programme making in the regions, which was the whole basis upon which ITV was established," Mason continued. "If these studios were to close, hundreds of jobs would be lost in the Midlands and inevitably there would be further centralisation of the ITV network. We are determined to defend the interests of our members in Nottingham."