NBC To Announce Plans To Leave Burbank and Move Across From Universal Studios
Leno Waves Buh-bye Burbank.From latimes.com: [NBC/Burbank] will announce plans Thursday to leave its home of more than 50 years for new headquarters near Universal Studios.
The media company plans to announce Thursday that it is selling much of the 30 acres it owns in Burbank, including its legendary NBC Studios at 3000 W. Alameda Ave., home to such iconic programs as "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and before that, "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."
NBC Universal intends to relocate the network and local news operations that are in Burbank to a new headquarters in a massive complex planned on Lankershim Boulevard, across the street from its Universal Studios entertainment complex. An MTA Red Line subway station and a sprawling surface parking lot now occupy the proposed site, which is next to the 101 Freeway. NBC Universal expects to move into the new center in 2011.
NBC has ambitious plans for its new digs, which it has dubbed the West Coast News Headquarters and Content Center. The company intends to be the anchor tenant of a massive project, more than 1 million square feet, being proposed to the city of Los Angeles by Thomas Properties, NBC Universal's developer for the project.
The new building is expected to have a street-side studio modeled after the "Today" show set in New York, as well as state-of-the-art production facilities that will allow the company's news organizations to more easily share content, executives said.
Mayor Sam just wondered aloud to ZD on the phone, "It's MUCH cheaper to operate in Burbank, than the City of Los Angeles. Did the City offer anything to NBC to entice them into making the move to the much more expensive City of Los Angeles?" And although Mayor Sam didn't have the opportunity to read all the details, yet, he wondered if this is this a "done deal", or can Burbank still make a counter offer?
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Posted by Zuma Dogg @ 10/10/2007 08:51:00 PM
13 Comments:
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Johnny Carson must be rolling around in his grave.
Maybe UNIVERSAL will buy BURBANK and use the City of Burbank for the Universal Development plans instead of Toluca Lake.
Does anyone know what the NBC Center is to become? I thank that is a good question.
Don't you hate being a responsible blogger? I had this story around 4 pm and was asked to hold it. Oh well.
I will be curious to see if Burbank goes down without a fight. Businesses don't leave Burbank for LA, its usually the other way around.
There are a lot of good business reasons for Universal to consolidate things at their lot.
Wonder how much of a subsidy NBCU will get to build in UC on the MTA land?
And again, I don't expect Burbank to take this sitting down.
Could it be a ploy to get permission to build something in Burbank?
Anyone remember Disney pitting Anaheim against Long Beach for what became California Adventure? In the end, Disney wasn't going to build on land it didn't own - and got everything they needed from Anaheim.
10:21 - condos?
The mexican illegal aliens in Burbank are forcing the move to Universal City. There are too many illegal aliens around the Burbank studios. That is the reason NBC is moving.
Isn't most of Universal Studios in the unincorporated part of LA County?
Not this part - City of LA
The shady as f**k mayor promised Jay Leno a nicer place to tape his show if Jay would quit making jokes about the mayor and Mirthala.
That my friends is why they are leaving Burbank.
Universal and the City will both make money on the Burbank sale, whatever it is. Maybe they will move all of the illegals to a new Ramona Gardens or Wayverwood Development. Just think; HUGE low income HOUSING PROJECTS for illegals in Downtown Burbank. Maybe Burbank will become the "uptown" of Boyle Heights.
"Congratulations, you have just won an all-expense paid vacation in beautiful downtown Burbank!" -- Johnny Carson
You've got to be kidding if you think the NBC site in Burbank is going to be turned into any kind of "affordable housing!" That's prime real estate and I sense it would probably be some kind of mixed use. Burbank is one city that has a dearth of office space and more companies are moving there every day from LA and other places.
But - again - don't count on this being a done deal. Burbank will and can sweeten the pot. And there is significant community opposition (from residents in the Cahuenga Pass - who all VOTE and have MONEY) over the Universal expansion. It won't be easy.
Turns out that NBC is probably going to make some use of the facility at Burbank but sell it and lease it back. They are moving all of the news operations as well as The Tonight Show to Universal. They were going to move the Tonight Show to the Universal lot anyway when Conan takes over.
9:49's got it right.
Burbank will sweeten the pot AND help the homeowner's groups in the Cahuenga Pass fight this expansion.
Look at how long they've held up previous Universal expansions. Does anybody think that just because the expansion will now be next to the 101 (versus next to Barham Blvd), that the residents won't fight it tooth and nail?
Disney wanted to build a theme park in Burbank years ago. MCA/Universal created a group called "Friends of Burbank" and funded a hit piece mailer to every city resident. Disney gave up the project in less than a year.
Expect the city of Burbank to use the same game plan, with Cahuenga Pass and other Universal-adjacent residents as thier frontmen.
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