Channel 4 set for first meeting with new culture secretary amid uncertainty over ownership and London HQ
Channel 4 executives are set for their first meeting with the new culture secretary this week and will be seeking clarity over ownership and the location of its headquarters.
It emerged this time last year that the government was considering privatising Channel 4, a move that strongly opposed by bosses at the broadcaster.
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However, this threat was widely thought to have passed this summer when John Whittingdale was replaced by Karen Bradley as culture secretary. Former culture minister Ed Vaizey described the potential privatisation as Whittingdale’s “agenda” after the pair had left the department in July.
But the Sunday Telegraph today reported that the government is keen for Channel 4 to relocate from London to help create a creative economy outside of the capital.
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Channel 4, which has around 800 employees, is headquartered on Horseferry Road in Westminster in a building thought to be worth around £100m.
Channel 4 and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment.