A Merry Christmas for Mr. Murdoch?? Our HTV members will find this particularly interesting Free Press Editorial - Asset Stripping ITV Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom http://www.freepress.org.uk http://keywords.dsvr.co.uk/freepress/body.phtml?doctype=&id=608 Carlton and Granada originally argued that a merger of the two companies would produce cost savings of £55m a year. Now the pressure is on from the shareholders to do better. In the jargon of business, they want 'merger synergies', but in clear English it means asset stripping, cutting jobs and reducing regional programming commitments. There is speculation that Charles Allen, Granada's chairman and chief executive only averted a similar fate to Michael Green, Carlton's chairman, who was prevented by shareholders from taking up the same position in the merged company, by agreeing to aggressive cost-saving targets. We are seeing the first signs of how these will be achieved. Granada will sell its historic Manchester headquarters for up to £15m and move into smaller premises nearby. The fear is that the move to new offices and studio facilities will also be used as an exercise to reduce staff numbers. Granada's Meridian subsidiary is also reeling from the scale of jobs cuts - 175 jobs, half the total headcount - as the company shifts its operations from Southhampton to a new facility near Fareham. Other areas targeted for possible disposal include Carlton’s Nottingham studio. All of this will boost the figure for savings from the merger much higher to £75-80m, but at what cost to the range and quality of programming on ITV, and in particular regional programming commitments? In our evidence to the Competition Commission, our work around the Communications Bill and in Free Press we warned about the inevitable consequences of a single ITV. Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt argued, 'A stronger ITV will be better able to invest in and provide programming of high quality, including regional programmes. Broadcasting as a whole will benefit.' In fact we have seen the squandering of broadcasting assets, based on the regional franchises, which both reflected their regions and contributed distinctive programming to the ITV network. 'Don't trouble me with your history,' Gerry Robinson said on his first visit to Granada's Manchester headquarters, when he took over as chief executive in 1992. It is precisely that history which we should remember now, as the asset stripping gathers pace. Bristol branch - National Union of Journalists 10-12 Picton Street Montpelier BRISTOL BS6 5QA England http://media.guardian.co.uk/ http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/media/ http://lists.southspace.net/listinfo/nuj_bristol/ http://lists.southspace.net/pipermail/nuj_bristol/ http://www.takebackthemedia.com/bushnonazi.html http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml http://www.gegrapha.org/uk/default.htm http://www.gn.apc.org/media/nuj.html http://www.nuj.org.uk http://www.cpj.org http://www.ifj.org +44 (0)117 944 6219