Fifteen BBC senior managers will move to Salford
Fifteen senior managers at the BBC are to move to Salford when the corporation relocates five departments to MediaCity in 2011.
Those moving north include Ben Gallop and Philip Bernie from BBC Sport, Rhian Roberts from BBC Radio 5 Live and Michael Carrington and Joe Godwin from children's.
The departments moving to Salford are sport, children’s, Radio 5 Live, learning and elements of the future, media and technology division.
But 17 of the 32 senior managers have declined the move to the new Salford Quays development.
The BBC said it would make "extensive efforts" to redeploy staff who are not making the move. But they may be offered redundancy if positions cannot be found.
Peter Salmon, director of BBC North, said: "I am pleased by the response we have had and the calibre of the people who will be coming on the journey to BBC North.
"The acceptance rate is higher than had initially been planned and I am told by the relocation experts that 47% is a high percentage for a move of this size.
"I also completely sympathise with some colleagues who have not been able to make the decision because I understand just what an enormous individual decision it is, particularly where partners' careers, children's schooling, and sometimes caring responsibilities are involved."
Gallop, head of interactive and Formula 1 for BBC Sport, said of his move: ""While it has been a big decision to relocate my family, I'm really looking forward to the challenges ahead to take BBC Sport into a fully-digital, multi-platform future.
"We've seen the way audiences and technology have been changing in recent years and I'm excited by the opportunity that our new home in BBC North will offer."
The BBC is expected to start moving into the new BBC North centre in a phased way from Easter 2011.