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49-500: The building remained in use, becoming known as Broadcasting House , and it has housed the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) since that company took over from Xandir Malta in 1991. Between 2006 and 2008, plans were made to demolish the building and replace it with a new headquarters for PBS, but these were not carried out due to the building's significance in both Malta's architecture and broadcasting history. The building

98-539: A column of light shines 900 metres (3,000 ft) into the sky. It was officially unveiled on 16 June 2008, by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . The earliest use of Broadcasting House as a setting in fiction would seem to be in the 1934 detective novel Death at Broadcasting House by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell ( Eric Maschwitz ), where an actor is found strangled in Studio 7C. Broadcasting House

147-407: A relatively run down condition, and they were regarded as obsolete and insufficient for the needs of PBS, so plans were made to demolish both buildings. A new PBS headquarters along with apartments, penthouses and garages were to be built on the site of Rediffusion House, while the site of Television House would be developed with apartments and penthouses. The sites for the apartments were to be sold to

196-541: A studio audience. As part of a major consolidation of the BBC's property portfolio in London, Broadcasting House has been extensively renovated and extended. This involved the demolition of post-war extensions on the eastern side of the building, replaced by a new wing completed in 2005. The wing was named the " John Peel Wing" in 2012, after the disc jockey. BBC London , BBC Arabic Television and BBC Persian Television are housed in

245-560: A third party developer, with the money from the sale being used to construct the new headquarters. The required applications were submitted to MEPA in 2007. The proposed demolition was controversial, with Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and the Chamber of Architects speaking out against the proposal, stating that both buildings are rare examples of quality Modernist architecture in Malta. In 2008, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi instructed PBS to withdraw

294-588: Is World , a pavement artwork by the Canadian-born architect and artist Mark Pimlott. According to the BBC, the work "reflects the global dimension of the BBC’s broadcasting and consists of over 750 stone flags inscribed with place names from around the world, as well as those from history, mythology and fantasy. The artwork is enhanced by elegant steel lines of longitude and latitude, a subtle scheme of small embedded lights and some audio installation linked to key output from

343-675: Is a central feature in Penelope Fitzgerald 's novel Human Voices , published in 1980, where the lead characters work for the BBC during the Second World War . It is also the work place of Alexander Wedderburn in A. S. Byatt 's 1995 novel Still Life, and Sam Bell in Ben Elton 's 1999 novel Inconceivable , and also that of the evil nazi-sympathiser Ezzy Pound in Michael Paraskos 's 2016 novel In Search of Sixpence. The building

392-589: Is glass-covered in the plaza area and curved to contrast both wings either side and to continue the glass on both sides high up the building. On the Portland Place side, it continues the same use of Portland stone and glass as with the John Peel Wing. On Monday 18 March 2013 at 1 pm, following the BBC News Channel's final broadcast from Television Centre , the first news programme from Broadcasting House

441-726: Is managed by a board of directors. The current non-Executive Chairperson is Anna Bonett. Keith Chetcuti is the Chief Executive Officer and Engelbert Grech is the Chairperson of the PBS Editorial Board. In 2021, PBS announced that their TV channels will change their channel logo branding and a channel name change as well with TVM2 changing its name to TVMNews+ (now known as TVM+ ), these changes were met with criticism and in 2023, PBS quietly updated its logo branding on their TV and radio services. PBS' radio services consist of

490-469: Is subject to change. All times listed are either Greenwich Mean Time or British Summer Time depending on what is being used in London. The building showcases works of art, most prominently the statues of Prospero and Ariel (from Shakespeare 's The Tempest ) by Eric Gill . Their choice was fitting since Prospero was a magician and scholar, and Ariel a spirit of the air, in which radio waves travel. There was, reportedly, controversy over some features of

539-664: Is the headquarters of the BBC , in Portland Place and Langham Place, London . The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The main building is in Art Deco style, with a facing of Portland stone over a steel frame . It is a Grade II* listed building and includes the BBC Radio Theatre , where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of

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588-401: Is the sole Maltese member of EBU. Prior to Xandir Malta, Rediffusion broadcast television programmes in Malta under the name The Malta Television Service Ltd. The service was run by Rediffusion , a London-based independent broadcaster. Transmissions in Malta started from Hamrun on 11 November 1935 under the name of "Broadcast Relay Service Malta Ltd." Charles Whotcroft and George Powler were

637-554: Is well realised as a setting in Nicola Upson 's 2015 mystery novel London Rain . The head of BBC history, Robert Seatter, has said George Orwell in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), "reputedly based his notorious Room 101 from the novel "on a room he had worked in whilst at the BBC." On 7 November 2017, a statue of Orwell , sculpted by the British sculptor Martin Jennings ,

686-486: The BBC World Service , which relocated from Bush House on 12 July 2012. Many of the BBC's national radio stations are also broadcast from the building, with the exception of BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra which have moved to Salford Quays . The building work was completed in two phases. It began with the demolition of two post-war extensions to the original building. The first phase consisted of

735-735: The Dom Mintoff led Labour Party government of Malta for the transfer of all Rediffusion's assets in Malta to the Maltese government. Following the transition to digital television using the DVB-T standard in October 2011, all licensed terrestrial channels in Malta are distributed through a network of transmitters operated by PBS. These transmitters are located in Delimara ( Marsaxlokk ), Nadur , Mellieħa , Mtarfa , Naxxar and Portomaso ( St. Julian's ). PBS

784-622: The London Underground : the Victoria line was tunnelled beneath in the 1960s, and presented problems for construction of the Egton Wing (see below). Noise from passing trains is audible within the radio theatre but generally imperceptible in recordings. The ground floor was fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street, as the BBC believed that to finance such a project (costing £25 million in today's money), they would need to let

833-497: The Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), was founded in 1961 to regulate both the Rediffusion and television, then being only the Rediffusion (Malta) Limited and The Malta Television Service Limited. When Television Malta was introduced in 1962, transmissions were made from Rediffusion House until a new building known as Television House was constructed nearby. Television House was completed on 6 February 1964. Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd

882-862: The Radju Malta , Radju Malta 2 and Magic Malta radio stations. For a short period in 1975/1976 it also had an Italian-language station, called Radio Malta Tre ; the news were read by Anna Bonanno. PBS' television services consist of the TVM , TVM+ and TVMSport+ television channels. It also operates the Parliament TV service under an agreement with the Parliament of Malta . [REDACTED] Media related to Public Broadcasting Services (Malta) at Wikimedia Commons 35°53′31″N 14°29′32″E  /  35.89194°N 14.49222°E  / 35.89194; 14.49222 Broadcasting House Broadcasting House

931-578: The art-deco style with an emphasis on both looks and practicality. The practicality of the studios diminished rapidly as a result of the changing nature of broadcasting and changes in the required uses of the studios. These studios and their original intended roles were: Following the rebuild and refurbishment, several studios have been added and the studio structure changed dramatically. The current studios are: BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 5 Live Nicky Campbell (5 Live) The Media Show (Radio 4) || Visual Radio Studio Until programmes air information

980-716: The BBC in 2011. While the rebuilding process was under way, many BBC radio stations moved to other buildings near Portland Place . The extension contains the BBC News and Journalism departments, and state-of-the-art technical equipment and new studios to house the BBC News bulletins on television, the BBC News Channel and BBC World News , the BBC Arabic Television service and the BBC Persian Television service. At

1029-491: The Egton Wing were fully fitted out and completed by 2007. In 2012, it was announced by the then Director-General Mark Thompson that the Egton Wing would be renamed the ' John Peel Wing' to commemorate the late Radio 1 disc jockey, whom he described as a "great radio talent". Thompson described the wing as a "fitting tribute to a man who personified so much of what the BBC stands for". It houses BBC London , BBC Arabic Television and BBC Persian Television , together with

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1078-574: The World Service." On the roof of the John Peel wing, mirroring the radio mast, is Breathing , a cone-shaped glass structure reaching into the sky to the same height as the mast. It was sculpted by Jaume Plensa as a memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty. It includes words from a poem by James Fenton and is illuminated day and night. At 10 pm daily, in line with the BBC News at Ten ,

1127-565: The application, saving both buildings from demolition. This move was welcomed by the Chamber of Architects. A restoration and renovation of the building began to be carried out in February 2012, and the building became known as the PBS Creativity Hub. It was reinaugurated by Prime Minister Gonzi on 28 December 2012. The renovation project cost a total of €3.1 million. The renovation received a Second Diploma award in 2013 by Din l-Art Helwa for

1176-430: The building in collaboration with the BBC's civil engineer, M. T. Tudsbery. The interiors were the work of Raymond McGrath , an Australian-Irish architect. He directed a team that included Serge Chermayeff and Wells Coates and designed the vaudeville studio, the associated green and dressing rooms, and the dance and chamber music studios in a flowing Art Deco style. The building is built in two parts. Dispensing with

1225-461: The building include a canopy above the main entrance and a transmission tower with porthole-like apertures. The main façade has long horizontal windows and the entire building is painted white. These features give the building a characteristic Modernist aesthetic. A distinctive clock similar to that found at the Broadcasting House in London was included in the building's original designs, but it

1274-512: The building. On 15 March 1932, the first musical programme was given by the bandleader Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra. Hall also wrote and performed, with his dance band, Radio Times , the name of the BBC's schedule publication. The first news bulletin was read by Stuart Hibberd on 18 March. The last transmission from Savoy Hill was on 14 May, and Broadcasting House officially opened on 15 May 1932. George Val Myer designed

1323-433: The conservation and regeneration. Rediffusion House is a Modernist building, and it was one of the first non-educational institutional buildings to be built in that style in Malta. Through this style, the building projected broadcasting as being a future-oriented concept. It is considered to be one of the finest buildings of its type in Malta. The building included offices, studios, control rooms and libraries. Features of

1372-464: The first manager and chief engineer respectively. On 29 September 1962 Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd. inaugurated a television service covering the Maltese islands. On 14 February 1975 the employees of the Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd staged a sit-in strike at the company's premises in Malta and they even started to run the company. On 30 July 1975 an agreement was reached between Rediffusion Group of Companies and

1421-452: The fourth floor up. This not only affected the floor plan of the structure, but meant that the interior recording tower could not be built to the top floor. (Thus, one studio on the top floor was actually outside the central studio core structure.) Underground structures, including a hundred-year-old sewer, also presented problems during construction. The building is above the Bakerloo line of

1470-465: The ground floor as a retail unit. The rapid expansion of the BBC meant this never occurred. The original building is a Grade II* listed building . Beginning in 2003, Broadcasting House underwent a major renovation during the BBC 's W1 Programme, with the aim of refurbishing the building and combining a number of the BBC's operations in a new extension. This houses the television and radio operations of BBC News , relocated from Television Centre , and

1519-482: The heart of this is a new newsroom, the largest live newsroom in the world. A walkway above the newsroom allows the public to view the work of journalists, connecting the foyer to the Radio Theatre and a new café for staff and the public. Complemented by the outdoor plaza, which could act as an outdoor arena and theatre, this is designed to engage the public with the television and radio making process. The extension

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1568-458: The new wing, which also contains the reception area for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra (the studios themselves are in the new extension to the main building). Since February 2024 BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music have moved in, opposite the BBC Radio 1 studios on the 8th floor. This was created by converting office space, after the decision to move out of Wogan House was made. The main building

1617-422: The oft-found central light-well of contemporary buildings this size, the central core containing the recording studios was a windowless structure built of brick. (Structural brick rather than steel framing was used in order to reduce noise transmission both from without and between studios.) The surrounding outer portion, designed for offices and ancillary spaces, is steel-framed and faced with Portland stone. While

1666-402: The outer portion had plenty of windows, the inner core required special sound-dampened ventilation systems. There were two areas where right of ancient lights would cause height restrictions. While the rights on the southern side ceased to be a problem after the owners of those rights gave concessions, the rights on the eastern side were dealt with by sloping the roof away from the street from

1715-636: The plot of land in Gwardamanġa from the Ursuline Sisters on 28 December 1954, for a perpetual annual rent of £206 for 100 years. The agreement stated that the place should not be used for any immoral activities. The building was designed by the architect Carmelo Falzon, and the project cost around £150,000. The first broadcast from the new building occurred on 30 December 1957, and it was inaugurated by Governor Sir Robert Laycock on 23 January 1958. The Maltese Broadcasting Authority (MBA), later transferred to

1764-554: The public takes a visit in the building and have a look at the sets of the channels and radios. PBS was founded on November 11, 1975 as Xandir Malta and became joint member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) together with the Maltese Broadcasting Authority (MBA). The latter was previously admitted as a full, active member, as Malta Television Service Ltd already has been, in 1970. Since 2003, PBS

1813-454: The reception area for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra . The second phase was the creation of the large wing to the rear of the building, joining the two buildings, and creating a plaza between them. The original architects were replaced for not agreeing to cost-related revisions, as Sir Richard MacCormac was unwilling to sacrifice the quality of his design. Construction was completed by Bovis Lend Lease in 2010, and control handed over to

1862-495: The renovation of the original building, which was starting to show its age and needed structural repair, and a new wing to the east. In the old building, the sloped "cat slide" slate roof was removed and many of the rooms stripped back to their walls, although much of the Art Deco architecture was retained and preserved. Much of the work focused on the lower walls and ceilings, which did not include Art Deco features. The reception area

1911-485: The sculptor's sexuality might be reflected in the statue. The BBC has declined to remove the statue, citing Gill's status as one of the preeminent British artists of the 20th century. On 13 January 2022, the statue was vandalized by a man wielding a hammer, who wrote "Time to go was 1989" and "noose all paedos" on the statue. Several works of art were commissioned by the BBC for the refurbishment of Broadcasting House, at an overall cost of more than £4 million. Among these

1960-431: The side, mirroring that created in the main building when the sloping roof was removed. The design of the extension, intended to equal the original in "architectural creativity", was carried out by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard . Construction was completed in 2005, with the refurbished Broadcasting House and new Egton wing opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 April 2006 as part of her 80th birthday celebrations. All areas of

2009-566: The statues when built and they were said to have been modified. They were reported to have been sculpted by Gill as God and Man, rather than Prospero and Ariel, and that there is a small carved picture of a beautiful girl on the back of Prospero. Additional carvings of Ariel are on the exterior in many bas-reliefs , some by Gill, others by Gilbert Bayes . The reception area contains a statue of 'The sower' by Gill. The statues of Prospero and Ariel have attracted controversy in recent years, due to evidence that Gill engaged in pedophilia, and that

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2058-614: Was aired: the BBC News at One , on BBC One and the BBC News Channel. BBC World News was the first of BBC's news services to move into the new building on Monday 14 January 2013, beginning with GMT at noon. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the extension on 7 June 2013. The second phase development won the 'Programme of the Year' award at the 2013 annual awards of the Association for Project Management. When built, Broadcasting House contained 22 radio studios for all programme genres, in

2107-459: Was completed in March 2013. The official name of the building is Broadcasting House but the BBC now also uses the term “new Broadcasting House” (with a lowercase 'n') in its publicity referring to the new extension rather than the whole building, with the original building known as “old Broadcasting House”. Construction of Broadcasting House began in 1928, with programmes gradually transferring to

2156-480: Was dissolved in 1975, and its operations were taken over by Xandir Malta, the broadcasting division of TeleMalta Corporation. Public Broadcasting Services Ltd (PBS) was established in 1991 to take over Xandir Malta, and continues to operate today. The building remained in use throughout these developments, and Rediffusion House (along with Television House) was scheduled as a Grade 2 building by MEPA in 2001. By 2006, both Rediffusion House and Television House were in

2205-516: Was never installed since the funds intended for it were used to buy television equipment in the 1960s. Public Broadcasting Services Public Broadcasting Services Limited ( PBS ) is the public broadcaster of Malta . PBS is funded by government grants and the sale of commercial airtime. Its TVM channel is Malta's most watched television channel, and its radio station Magic Malta enjoys huge popularity among local and foreign listeners. Each year on December 13, PBS hosts an open day, where

2254-462: Was refurbished, and an extension built to the rear. The radio stations BBC Radio 3 , BBC Radio 4 , BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC World Service transferred to refurbished studios within the building. The extension links the old building with the John Peel Wing, and includes a new combined newsroom for BBC News , with studios for the BBC News channel , BBC World News and other news programming. The move of news operations from BBC Television Centre

2303-541: Was renovated in 2012, and at this point it was renamed the PBS Creativity Hub . Broadcast Relay Service (Malta) Ltd began broadcasting in Malta in 1935, and the company changed its name to Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd in 1955. Rediffusion House was built in the 1950s to house the company's headquarters and studios. Prior to construction of Rediffusion House, the company was based in Valletta . The Rediffusion company acquired

2352-402: Was renovated to include a new desk while retaining the message and statue as an attention piece. Many rooms had ceilings removed, such as the south tower, and new reinforcement joists were added. The new Egton Wing is roughly the same shape as the main building, with a modern design and window arrangement but retaining features such as Portland stone. Towards the rear a large block was created in

2401-402: Was unveiled, outside Broadcasting House. The wall behind the statue is inscribed with the following phrase: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear". These are words from his proposed preface to Animal Farm and a rallying cry for the idea of free speech in an open society. In 1985 it was revealed by The Observer that MI5 had had

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