BBC abandons £100m digital project

[french frank]

[No, not that one ... ]

"The Digital Media Initiative was aimed at transforming the way staff developed, used and shared video and audio material and was seen as an important part of a move of resources to Salford."

Anyone have a clue what this is/was about?

I'd like to think it had something to do with the endless staff resources devoted to Facebook and Twitter, given the poor listener appeal - at least as far as R3 is concerned, but I'm afraid it isn't.

[eighthobstruction]

Surely we can dock this from Thompsons & Lyons pension pots.....

[Resurrection Man]

This from the BBC web page sums it up

The Digital Media Initiative (DMI) was designed as a production tool that would make BBC recordings accessible to staff via a desktop - from the raw footage right through to the final edit.

According to the website it was started in 2008. It has all the hallmarks of that other White Elephant that Blair insisted on shoving through - AKA the NHS Digital project whatever it was called - despite advice against it from IT industry professionals (whose advice has now been proved to be 100% correct). BBC contract awarded to Seimens....who were also responsible for another White Elephant project designed to digitise and improve the case handling of the Immigration Authority back in the early 2000's. That project also failed dismally (at a huge cost...mega-millions) and was quietly swept under the carpet....sadly no Parliamentary Questions made as the sweeping was that effective....oh, perhaps I shouldn't have let the cat out of the bag ....ooops.

[amateur51]

Surely we can dock this from Thompsons & Lyons pension pots.....

A lovely thought, eighth

[DracoM]

Eyes bigger then their tummy.
Arts graduates thinking they can boss IT geeks around
Public school toffs tell the greasy handed engineers what's what?
Another fine mess you've got me into?

........mark your own card.

[french frank]

Surely we can dock this from Thompsons & Lyons pension pots.....

Don't be silly 8th - "the BBC's chief technology officer has been suspended." There!

[french frank]

This from two years ago.

"The BBC has been criticised by a Commons committee over a digital media scheme which was meant to save £17.9m, but ended up costing about £38.2m."
[...]
"Members also questioned "the fact that the BBC easily identified new savings to compensate for the financial consequences of the contract failing" - amounting to £50.5m - £26m in "efficiencies" within BBC divisions and £24.5m of new efficiencies in the wider Siemens contract.
[...]
"The report said that since the broadcaster brought the project back "in-house" it had made good progress and the technology was "on course" to be delivered by summer 2011 - although that was still five months later than planned - and to "deliver the technology required for the move to Salford".

However it said the financial case for the project had "weakened over time" - and ended up costing an estimated £133.6m."

[eighthobstruction]

Me....be silly....surely not....

....Beeb will still have to solve this problem of how to get archive material from London to Salford digitally....more money to be spent - buying in a system ....Hmmmm????

[Resurrection Man]

Good sleuthing, FF

[eighthobstruction]

I suggest we lend /second Dave2002 to the Beeb....(should he accept this mission!)

[DracoM]

Item just been on WATO R4.

[Serial_Apologist]

Item just been on WATO R4.

Also on BBC News on One - as little being said about it as possible, natch.

[MrGongGong]

Shades of this maybe ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2007/bbc_jam.html

(There's a whole room in the Media Centre in White City full of rather nice BBC Jam hessian bags and other stuff ........ help yourself as you leave !)

[french frank]

Yes, then there was BBC Jam too

I wonder whether Purnell was in on this (Director of Strategy, or some such title?). There's a video clip of him saying "We messed up." Indeed, they could have run Radio 3 for two years on what they lost, content and all the rest.

[Resurrection Man]

This article says it all

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jun/05/bbc-digital-media-initiative-failure-patten

Lord Patten ...definitely past his "Sell-by date". Mind you, I think that that can probably said of the majority of the BBC Trust.

Personal message to Lord Patten....Please do the honourable thing. Resign please.