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Peacock’s Move a Boon to Real Hollywood
The Daily News of Los Angeles
By Gregory J. Wilcox
October 14, 2007
Hooray for North Hollywood. Studio City, too.
This slice of the southeast San Fernando Valley is expected to reap some of the benefits of NBC Universal's recently announced plans to move from Burbank to Universal City.
The Peacock will be shifting over its entire news operation along with "The Tonight Show,'' which will be hosted by Conan O'Brien rather than Jay Leno by the time it all comes together.
NBC plans to move its West Coast headquarters into an $800million complex near the MTA Red Line station, right across the street from Universal Studios theme park and the adjacent CityWalk attraction.
Preliminary plans call for three office towers and a five-story, state-of-the-art studio with a big picture window. That will give Red Line commuters a view into the studio, similar to the way fans can wave and gape at NBC's "Today'' show from Rockefeller Center in New York City.
The new headquarters will give more credence to what local boosters have been saying for a long time: If you want to find the real Hollywood, come to the Southeast Valley.
"It's going to be the next evolution of what we've been saying for the last 10 years. This is where entertainment lives,'' said Bruce Ackerman, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.
At the same time, Ackerman conceded that the loss will have a huge impact on Burbank, where Johnny Carson moved his popular "The Tonight Show'' in May 1972.
"I hate to see any of our cities lose anything. But I love the fact that NBC is going to build out some incredible things for the San Fernando Valley,'' he said. "Burbank is so synonymous with NBC and 'The Tonight Show,' it's going to be an emotional loss as well as a physical loss.''
Ackerman said he wouldn't be surprised to see NBC Universal sell its Burbank property to another media or entertainment company that would build out the 34-acre site.
And Jack Kyser, the chief economist for the Los Angeles County Development Corp., predicted that there will be a lot of interest in the NBC property because of the low vacancy rate in Burbank's Media District -- an area NBC helped create.
"It's sort of a poke in the eye for the city of Burbank,'' he said. "However, there would probably be a lot of interest in those (NBC) facilities -- whether it be from a media company or (someone) just goes in and plows the site.''
NBC's new digs will be built and owned by Los Angeles-based Thomas Properties Group.
The 315,000-square-foot studio with a 24-story postproduction office and another 24-story high-rise is slated for completion in 2011. A 34-story office tower or condominium hotel will be finished by 2015.
With Universal's back lot now slated for the construction of 2,937 condos and apartments on 130 acres, some are questioning whether it's a good time to add more housing to the mix.
"We have time for the market to have cycled out,'' said Ayahlushim Hammond, a senior vice president at Thomas.
"But our first preference is (completion of) a postproduction office.
"That's our first priority because it means more jobs for the larger area,'' she said. ``You need the jobs to go with the residential.''
Officials estimate that the complex eventually could employ 3,200 people.
My neighbor Manny, a truck driver at Universal Studios, summed up why it's just common sense for NBC to move its West Coast operations a couple of miles down the road.
"All we do is spend all day driving between the two places, hauling film and equipment,'' he said.
Copyright ©2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Valley Peacock; NBC’s Move a Vote of Confidence in the Area
The Daily News of Los Angeles
Editorial
October 12, 2007
"FROM the beautiful San Fernando Valley, it's 'The Tonight Show'!''
That's how the "The Tonight Show'' should begin starting in 2011, when NBC completes relocation from Burbank to Universal City. It would only be fitting, given that the network's move marks a historic vote of confidence in Los Angeles in general and the Valley in particular.
For the last half century, the trend has been just the opposite of what we see today.
NBC left L.A. for Burbank in 1952, and ever since, one corporate and/or entertainment giant after another has followed its lead, avoiding the City of Angels in favor of the more business-friendly suburbs.
But these are great times of opportunity for the Valley, as NBC understands.
With the massive Westfield mall expansion in Woodland Hills, vast new commercial and housing development near the North Hollywood subway station, and the NBC-crowned revitalization of the Universal City area, the Valley is booming.
Thousands of much-needed good jobs and millions in new tax revenues will no doubt accompany all this growth. So, too, will a boom in tourism, with the benefits likely to spill over into other, underserved parts of the region, such as the Northeast Valley.
The Universal City site with NBC's new campus -- which will include multiple office buildings, plus hotels and possibly condominiums -- is quickly becoming a great entertainment hub of Los Angeles.
With access to the Red Line subway, the Orange Line busway and various freeways, it's a natural spot for the densification that's inevitable as the city's population continues to swell.
Of course, with growth comes natural and reasonable quality-of-life concerns, including questions about the impact on noise and traffic. These are serious matters that need to be properly mitigated. But they must be the basis of rational policy decisions, not political opportunism or irrational NIMBYism.
Yes, traffic and noise can have a serious effect on the life of a community. But so do poverty and widening economic disparities -- and that's what the Valley will get if it resists smart growth and progress.
The NBC-Universal project promises to bring what the Valley needs most -- practical densification and good jobs. It would boost real-estate values, strengthen schools and make the Valley a more desirable place to visit and live. These are benefits that must not be undervalued in the debate in the months and years ahead. We need to find ways to make these plans work, not excuses for why they can't.
The Valley's and the city's civic and political leaders should take note. They will surely face great pressure to cave to the forces of NIMBYism. It's easy to say no, to reject progress because this or that interest is opposed. But it's much harder to offer real solutions to the city's needs.
If the new jobs, new homes, new entertainment and commercial venues the city demands are not going to come via these massive investments, then where would they come from?
Any L.A. leaders who plan to stand in opposition will need to answer this question first. Because the Valley needs good answers about its future, not easy ones, like "no.''
We cannot afford to squander the opportunity to make "the beautiful San Fernando Valley'' not just a catchphrase, but a reality.
Copyright ©2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
NBC: Bye-Bye, Burbank: Universal City New Home of ‘Tonight Show,” News
The Daily News of Los Angeles
By David Kronke and Gregory J. Wilcox
October 11, 2007
Goodbye, Burbank; hello, Universal City.
That was the word Wednesday from NBC, the network that introduced the world to "Beautiful Downtown Burbank'' and helped make it the "Media Capital of the World.''
"The Tonight Show,'' local news operations and "Access Hollywood,'' along with other programming, will be relocated to Universal City, which includes Universal Studios, its theme park and CityWalk.
"This is part of a long-term strategy on the West Coast, centralizing our businesses in one location in Los Angeles,'' said Tom Smith, senior vice president of West Coast Real Estate for NBC Universal.
The new facilities -- part of an $800 million skyline-altering development expected to be completed in 2011 -- will be located adjacent to the Universal City Red Line subway station and feature an environmentally friendly West Coast news headquarters.
As officials did recently on the East Coast, the move will centralize all of NBC's news properties, including the news division of local affiliate KNBC (Channel 4) and Telemundo's KVEA (Channel 52), allowing them to collaborate on news stories.
Thomas Properties Group is developing and will own NBC's new home. The network will likely share its new space with other tenants.
The first phase -- the five-story, 315,000-square-foot broadcast studio with a 24-story post-production office facility and another 24-story high-rise with six stories of parking -- should be finished in 2011. A 34-story office tower or condominium hotel is scheduled for completion in 2015, said Ayahlushim Hammond, a senior vice president at Thomas Properties.
Eventually, the complex could employ about 3,200 people.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said his office has been working for months with NBC on the move and that it is a welcome boost to the local economy.
"Make no mistake about it, this is a major investment for the city,'' Villaraigosa said. "We could be talking about a $3 billion impact when it's completed.''
Burbank exit
NBC -- which moved to Burbank in 1952 from its former location at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood -- is also planning to sell most of its Burbank property, then lease it back for the foreseeable future.
Which divisions of the network will occupy the space once the Universal City office space is completed is undecided.
Additionally, the network is refurbishing Stage One on the Universal lot -- known as the Jack Benny Stage -- to serve as home for "The Tonight Show'' in 2009, when Conan O'Brien takes over as host, replacing Jay Leno.
As on the "Today'' show, the new facility will feature a street-side studio with an outside view of the historic park Campo de Cahuenga while allowing visitors and transit users the ability to become part of the live backdrop for local newscasts and network productions.
It will also host the "Today'' show and "Nightly News'' when they are broadcast from Los Angeles.
"This presents an exciting opportunity that will encourage collaboration in terms of content sharing and provide a better work environment incorporating digital technologies,'' said John Wallace, president of NBC Owned-and-Operated TV Stations.
Rumors of a possible move for NBC have been floating around since its parent company, General Electric, acquired Universal Studios and renamed the merger NBC Universal in 2004. The move will allow for further corporate synergy of the sort promised when the two companies merged, said Rebecca Marks, NBC Universal TV Group publicity executive vice president.
"Our long-term plan has always involved bridging the motion picture and TV businesses,'' Marks said. "We'll be able to share content across many platforms -- on the Internet, through MP3s and elsewhere -- so there's a great potential for additional synergy.''
Steve Capus, president of NBC News, is particularly bullish on the potential for greater collaboration between the network and the local affiliate's news divisions.
"There's a long, great history of NBC and KNBC working together,'' Capus said. "When Tom Brokaw anchored the local KNBC newscast, he was also contributing to `The Huntley-Brinkley Report,' so the idea of having journalists work together as part of one central nervous system is very back-to-the-future for us.''
"The L.A. bureau will be reflective of our proud home and we expect that to be incorporated in live shots,'' Capus said.
Capus pointed out that the consolidation of news divisions is similar to the makeover that will be unveiled in Manhattan today. MSNBC and CNBC were relocated from New Jersey to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York's Rockefeller Center to work more closely with NBC News.
"You have to think long-term in terms of where this business is going and make smart decisions about how the company is set up, and, structurally, this is doing that,'' Capus said. "This will allow NBC news to compete effectively. This is a long-term investment in news, and this new facility is a strong indication that we're in the game for the long term.''
O'Brien's move to Universal could result in some synergy, as well.
O'Brien on the tour?
While spokeswoman Marks said it is too soon to tell whether his new stage will become part of the tours offered by Universal Studios Hollywood, she noted that his proximity to the theme park and CityWalk will likely present him with comic fodder.
The network emphasized its dedication to environmental concerns by moving into a "green'' building, which will conserve both energy and water and strive to be a self-sustaining structure.
"Thomas Properties Group has a high commitment in building green buildings,'' Smith said. The building, as designed, has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification of Silver. LEED certifications begin with Certified, ascending to Silver, Gold and Platinum, the most environmentally friendly certification.
NBC also hopes to further the greening of the network by making use of the adjacent Red Line subway.
"Absolutely, we'll be encouraging employees to use the Red Line,'' Smith said. "That was one of the factors that made that site that much more attractive to us.''
Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, chairwoman of the city's transportation committee, said it is a good idea that the project is so near a Red Line station.
"However, I want to make sure that as this process moves forward, both NBC Universal and the surrounding community's needs are addressed,'' she said.
Meanwhile, the announcement of the upcoming move left some nostalgic for "Beautiful Downtown Burbank.''
Gary Owens, who coined the phrase as a radio host and made it famous on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' when the show debuted in 1968 (Johnny Carson co-opted the term when he moved ``The Tonight Show'' from New York to Burbank in 1972), said, "I have mixed feelings. Sometimes you have to move locations, but that was such a great location.
"Beautiful Downtown Burbank is thought of as one of the great cities of the world,'' Owens continued. "I guess from now on, they can just say, 'From the place across the street from Universal Studios.'''
Copyright ©2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
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