Welcome to the Media Museum!

The museum has been one of Bradford's biggest success stories since it opened in 1983.

But, as museum head Colin Philpott admits, its previous name wasn't exactly "dreamed up in marketing heaven."

From Friday it will be known as the National Media Museum and the re-branding includes new signage and a new logo. It's all part of an ambitious multi-million pound plan for the museum which includes new galleries - a combination of both virtual and real galleries - responding to media developments.

The new name is being marked by the launch of a nationwide public engagement campaign. Public feedback will be invited on the website.

A museum spokesman says: "The museum's parent group, the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI), recognised the importance of investing in the change to National Media Museum and made extra funds available to enable this to happen. It is estimated that the entire exercise will have cost in the region of £70,000, roughly 0.2 per cent of the organisation's total budget."

Colin Philpott says the new name reflects a changing world of media.

"The world around us is changing, the boundaries between our subject areas were once clearly defined but now the lines are blurring - you can access the internet on a mobile phone and listen to the radio on your TV set," he says. "The word that best defines this converging landscape is media. There'll be future changes that we don't know about yet; the word media' covers a wide remit and won't date us.

"This museum was set up 23 years ago and has been, and continues to be, a great success. We have over 650,000 visitors on average a year and a vibrant programme of festivals, events and exhibitions so we're not approaching this from a position of weakness or crisis.

"But all museums are constantly changing - and the nature of our subject matter means we have to keep on top of changes more than most. There is currently no national museum addressing radio and the internet but we think they're really important subjects which matter to people's lives.

"We're not in any way seeking to diminish our commitment to film, photography and television - in fact we're looking to strengthen it. Changing the name gives us fresh impetus to move forward. It's ambitious, challenging and exciting."

Media commentator and former BBC director general Greg Dyke supports the name change.

He says: "Twenty-first century Britain needs a media museum, reflecting the importance in all our lives of TV, radio, film, photography and of course the internet, new media. And if we're going to have one in Britain, there's only one place to have it - and that's Bradford.

"I find it interesting getting into my late 50s and having kids in their 20s, they can't believe I was brought up without a mobile phone. It's the speed of change that's happening now that's interesting and that's what we need to understand, and of course we need to keep some of that in our collections, because that's part of our heritage."

Culture Minister David Lammy adds: "One of the most important revolutions in the early part of the 21st century has been the growth of media across a range of platforms. All of us are exposed to that.

"We need a National Media Museum to help the public understand that change and remember where we've come from and where we're going. That's why a National Media Museum is so important."

Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe said: "The museum is a jewel in Bradford's crown because of its national context. This an exciting development."

And Bradford North MP Terry Rooney added: "One of the problems with the museum has always been getting repeat visitors. People come but tend only to come once. Broadening the concepts will help attract new audiences and get people coming back."

The name change follows consultation, market research and approval from trustees, the NMSI, and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the museum's main funding body.

Under the new look, some galleries are expected to take on a similar format to Experience TV, the £3 million partly interactive gallery devoted to the past, present and future of television which opened on the museum's third floor in July.

Short-term changes, expected to be implemented in spring 2007, include: l a digital gaming extension to the museum's existing animation gallery l a virtual gallery, on the museum's website, devoted to the history and current developments of the internet; l a Chairman of Photography post, set up with a bursary in conjunction with the University of Bradford. The high-profile figure will encourage and help new photographic talent and help to develop the museum's photographic collection. "We have one of the strongest photographic collections in the world, particularly in early photography," says Mr Philpott. "The contemporary collection is not so strong so we'll build on that."

Longer term plans include galleries devoted to radio, advertising, news and film, in collaboration with the British Film Institute and other organisations.

"We all use radio and have an affection for it, but it's an unsung hero, pretty much ignored by museums," says Mr Philpott. "Advertising is already reflected in Experience TV, we have 100,000 TV ads already in our collection. Advertising is constantly changing and deserving of a collection."

The plans fill a gap in the country's museum landscape. The film gallery, for example, will create a focus missing since the demise of the Museum of the Moving Image in London.

The museum is launching a fundraising programme but no overall cost has been revealed yet. "It's more about a series of developments," says Mr Philpott. "Experience TV cost about £3 million for 1,000 square metres of public space. The emphasis on radio and the web can happen straightaway, but the development of galleries is longer term."

The forward plan is seen as an important contribution to Bradford's regeneration. The museum is involved with the ambitious Lightwave cultural partnership which could see it extended to Centenary Square, with a bridge across Prince's Way leading to an education facility, comprising a media centre of excellence, next to the proposed mirror pool.

"It's not our job to regenerate Bradford but it's in our interests and crucial to this project," says Mr Philpott. "We're seen as an asset to Bradford, which is great, but there continues to be misconceptions about the city and we're working with other agencies to improve its image."

As well as developing in Bradford, the museum aims to continue reaching out to national and international visitors through the internet and an increasing number of broadcast partnerships, as well as looking to open a satellite centre in London, showcasing collections as a teaser' to draw visitors up here. "It's not the thin end of the wedge of taking everything to London," says Mr Philpott. "But we recognise the enormous market in London, some of which we want to attract to Bradford. And the media industry is based in London so it would be good to have an ambassadorial presence there."

e-mail: emma.clayton@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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