299 Queen Street West (Bell Media Studios)

[MessiGoat]

Story from The Star:

CP24 leaving Queen Street, moving to Bell Media’s Scarborough studios in October

Other Bell Media operations, including BNN and CTV News, will make the move to Agincourt as well, a memo from the president of Bell Media said.

www.thestar.com

Not much more info, but some............pointing to a different timeline on any potential development...

View attachment 573874

So we now understand that there will be an onsite presence of Bell (BNN) through at least Q3 2025.

Insufficient info to determine intent as to the other shows broadcast from this site, as well as the radio assets.

Interesting that BNN will be moving to Scarborough. Considering how many (on-set) guests they bring in on a daily basis who work in the financial district.

For context, the Bloomberg offices are in Manhattan and CNBC films most of their programming at the NYSE and NASDAQ sites (although their headquarters are in Englewood Cliffs NJ).

Thinking out loud: maybe BNN will look to create a small set some of the empty office space in downtown?

 

[Metroscapes]

Any tower can go on the existing parking lot. The heritage building needs to be left alone.

Don't forget the truck.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

Facadizm...

Would be close between this and 481 University as the biggest facadectomy project I'd imagine.

 

[pw20]

Interesting that BNN will be moving to Scarborough. Considering how many (on-set) guests they bring in on a daily basis who work in the financial district.

For context, the Bloomberg offices are in Manhattan and CNBC films most of their programming at the NYSE and NASDAQ sites (although their headquarters are in Englewood Cliffs NJ).

Thinking out loud: maybe BNN will look to create a small set some of the empty office space in downtown?

It doesn't seem like their celebrity shows are moving (E-Talk, the Social), which makes sense; there's no way they could get talent out to Scarborough for interviews - no shade to Scarborough, it's just a giant logistical challenge. If they maintain some studio presence downtown, they can easily have BNN commentators appear on a green-screen...

 

[Judas Priestley]

This would be the perfect site to hire Bjarke Ingels to design QUEEN Toronto.

 

[EBT]

This is a logical and welcome move IMO. This parcel of land includes a very large parking lot along Queen that can be developed into a tower for residential, retail, and other purposes. I for one won't miss the parking lot. The famous terra cotta-clad building at 299 Queen can be restored and repurposed. It could even include limited studio space. The building is overdue for some refreshing.

As someone who cut the cable cord about two decades ago, I can't recall the last time I watched a broadcast from this building. I don't even know what programs originated from here (when did it stop being Much Music?). I probably have seen clips on X but that is about it, so I don't have any sense of a "loss" with whatever programming originates from here moving to Scarborough.

The fact is with today's technology broadcasts can originate from anywhere. They don't require massive, dedicated studios. Prime Time broadcasts can originate from a room in your home as they often do on major cable news shows and even from the back of a van as demonstrated by Fox's Laura Ingraham who recently broadcast her prime time show from the back of this van

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. When she is not broadcasting from Fox's dedicated DC bureau studio - which is most of the time she broadcasts from a studio in a spare bedroom in her DC area home

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View this content on Instagram

 

[ProjectEnd]

This would be the perfect site to hire Bjarke Ingels to design QUEEN Toronto.

Please, god, no.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

I wonder if moving to The Portlands would make sense for them?

About 5 or 6 years ago - Bell did investigate moving down there in behind Pinewood Studios alongside the Shipping channel (moving just Agincourt down there and an option of moving 299 as well) - with an office tower and studios spaces

 

[Judas Priestley]

Please, God, no.

Why do you say that?

 

[ProjectEnd]

It's not 2009?

4 years old now, and things at BIG have only gotten worse in terms of moral lassitude, but this piece is a good primer on why Bjarke just...sucks: https://failedarchitecture.com/bjarke-ingels-and-the-art-of-greenwashing/

 

[Northern Light]

It's not 2009?

I wouldn't have looked favourably on the idea then either.

* I say that as someone who appreciates the design of King, too

 

[christiesplits]

I oppose developing the parking lot for the simple fact that I want the return of Christmas Tree Toss (RIP).

 

[Judas Priestley]

It's not 2009?

4 years old now, and things at BIG have only gotten worse in terms of moral lassitude, but this piece is a good primer on why Bjarke just...sucks: https://failedarchitecture.com/bjarke-ingels-and-the-art-of-greenwashing/

Well then, perhaps you would be more inclined to champion the Dream Team that is Steve Gupta and Arcadis? One thing that I like about Steve is his unpredictability; he never goes with the same architect twice. One powerhouse dunk of a development after another.

 

[JasonParis]

Don't forget the truck.

Also the CHUM sign if more verticals end-up being Agincourt bound.