BBC / Ealing Media Centre case study

The BBC

The BBC is probably the best known broadcasting company in the world. It is also one of the largest. It employs almost 10,000 people in London. Amongst the permanent staff many are on short term contracts and the BBC also employs a large number of freelance staff in London.

Most people work in and around Shepherd’s Bush, West London (the home of Television Centre). There is also a major base at Broadcasting House, near Oxford Circus, where national radio stations like Radio 1 are broadcast from. Broadcasting House is currently being expanded to incorporate new offices, BBC World Service (Radio) and a visitor centre.

The BBC, training and Ealing Hammersmith and West London College

Broadcasting – whether television, radio or online – is an industry that has been greatly affected by technological progress. New technology often means new skills are needed.

To keep up with the latest technology the BBC runs dedicated training facilities for its staff. However, it is important that future staff have the right skills too. That is why the BBC has collaborated with Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College on a new training centre.

The Ealing Institute of Media is a purpose built, state-of-the-art Centre for Media Excellence based at Ealing and West London College.

The Centre will provide training in skills required for work in animation, film, graphics, media, multimedia, TV, radio, video and photography.

The Ealing Institute of Media also works closely with professionals from other areas within the creative industries as well as the BBC. Students are offered work experience, master-classes and careers advice.

The Centre will also offer Intermediate Level courses to develop key skills in media, multimedia and graphics. This will enable students to continue onto higher courses at the Centre, take up places at other HE Institutions, or go into employment.

The Centre is due to open in September 2005. For more information call 0800 980 2175.

More about the BBC

The BBC is unique in Britain, and much of the world. It is publicly-owned and funded by a television licence fee that everyone with a television has to pay. It has what is called a “public service remit”. This means it is expected to provide services and programmes whose cultural, educational or artistic value to the UK is as important as its cost or popularity.

Despite being referred to as though it were one company, it is actually made up of a variety of different companies and divisions. These do all sorts of work including things which you might not think of as being part of the BBC.

The structure of the BBC can appear complicated to outsiders, even to insiders. There are over 150 subsidiaries and joint ventures, divided into 16 main divisions, nine of which are broadcasting divisions.

In Britain the BBC has eight television channels and ten radio networks, 46 local and national radio stations, and the online site bbc.co.uk. It is also responsible for BBC World Service (radio) and BBC World (television). So that's a lot of programming, all of which has to come from somewhere.

However the BBC don’t make everything they show by themselves (in-house). Some of it is acquired from other sources, like US television companies. A lot of it is commissioned from independent production companies, including some of their most famous programmes.

These nine areas manage the BBC networks (like BBC1, BBC3, Radio 1) and are responsible for commissioning and often the production of programmes (like the Chris Moyle’s Breakfast show or Eastenders) that are shown on them.

The BBC is required to commission a minimum of 25% of its output from independent production companies. Individual BBC programme making departments must compete with outside companies for most programming commissions. So if you’re interested in working on BBC programmes, you should consider independent companies too.

In recent years the BBC has undergone dramatic changes. Parts of it operate in the commercial world, selling services and producing profits which support the rest of the company. There are two commercial divisions selling goods and services around the world.