Broadcasting from the North...

Comments from Mark Thompson about the possibility of moving a BBC channel to MediacityUK carry real weight. When you look at the pictures that have been released for the new development, and reflect on the scale of what the BBC is doing there, it begins to look increasingly likely that adding a channel is on the cards. Mediacity is becoming the broadcasting capital of the North, and arguments against shifting a channel there look increasingly thin.

What would be the best channel to move? By a process of elimination it usually comes to down to one of the two digital channels - 3 or 4. But if you were going to add substantially to what is already going into Mediacity - Childrens, Sport, FiveLive and so on - the channel that would make the biggest difference would be BBC2. It has commissioning weight of numbers that would redirect the creative energies of the in-house and independent production companies that supply it. It would also mean it could escape from the temptation to follow a metropolitan media agenda and re-think its relationship with viewers outside London. That's a big undetaking to embark on, but one that the BBC knows is worth pursuing.

However, whatever the decision on a channel, one programme redeployment has already been announced which will do a great deal to bring Mediacity to the attention of the public - the arrival of Breakfast which moves in next year. Not since the days of This Morning in Liverpool has there been a daily window on the North - and that is exactly what Breakfast represents. No doubt it is a programming challenge, but more importantly it will be a huge step towards the BBC finding fresh ways to engage with audiences. If BBC2 were to be added to the mix, that would be a really fresh perspective on the BBC.