Old for new

The Independent has the first of what I expect to be an increasing flow of stories about the BBC's new giant newsroom at Broadcasting House today. Unfortunately, in the online version of its report headlined "Melting pot or goldfish bowl ?", the accompanying picture was taken around 2002, and is of the building the BBC is leaving first, Bush House.

The shot is from the days when BBC Interactive tried to rebrand itself as BBCi, under the late Katharine Everett. A fairly serious amount of money was spent putting huge glass windows on the Aldwych side of the venerable edifice, and creating an "iStudio" where "iPresenters" would conduct "iInterviews" with, etc,etc.  Blinds were installed not long after the launch - it is not clear whether this was at the request of the staff, or to conceal the fact that there were very few "iInterviewees" ready to take part in the exercise.

As the BBC's Jem Stone says in his history of the BBC's Social Media activities "The experiment is quietly abandoned when New Media moves to new accommodation in W12 in 2004".