12th Forum: ITV news chief, Times web guru & Media City:UK exec join discussion on the future of journalism

If you needed further evidence that it's not all grim up North, consider this:

In 2011, Media City:UK - now shooting up in Salford Quays on the edge of Manchester - will be the new home to five BBC London-based departments, including two TV channels and two radio stations representing £225m of BBC production spend and £275m of BBC commissioning spend. And that's only the start of it. The 200-acre development is expected to be the cornerstone of up to 15,000 jobs in TV, film and the creative industries.

What will this mean for the future of journalism in the region and further afield?

Find out from Paul Newman, spokesperson for the developer Peel Media, who is one of the panellists on the next Journalism Leaders Forum on May 12th.

Other participants include Ian Bent, the BBC factual radio editor in Manchester, Richard Frediani, head of news at ITV, and Joanna Geary, web development editor at The Times. Note: Culture secretary Andy Burnham had intended to participate, but has cancelled citing a diary conflict. [He offered to participate in a future Forum; we intend to invite him, again]

Mike Ward, head of the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at UCLan. will chair the all-alumni panel discussion that follows a reception to launch an evolving exhibition and book project, Journalism at UCLan: past, present & future, which will mark the 50th anniversary of England's oldest journalism programme.

To attend the open Forum at 6pm in Greenbank Lecture Theatre - as well as the reception from 5pm - please RSVP to Debbie Williams by email or call +(0)1772 894759. There is no charge.

If you can't be there in person, there are other ways to join the discussion.

You can post your questions and comments on this site, or you can participate in the live Webcast by logging in here as a "guest". Online participants will be able to post questions to panelists and each each other in a text chat room.

The Forum is scheduled as part of the Journalism Leaders Programme's Spring seminar, Innovation and the Market: Understanding Users, Delivering Value, Growing Revenue, which runs from 11-15th May in Preston, Liverpool and Manchester.

Also in Preston earlier on the day of the Forum is the Spring meeting of the Digital Editors Network, which includes presentations by Robin Goad of Hitwise, Nick Turner of Cumbria Newspapers and Patrick Altoft of Branded3.

For more information about these and other activities of the UCLAN's Journalism Leaders Programme, which partners with media companies to develop leadership talent and strategic solutions for the Networked Age, François Nel, by email or Skype (francoisnel).