BBC Steps Up Pressure To Get Thompson On Board
The BBC is attempting to get its new director general, Mark Thompson, to take the helm as soon as possible and is believed to be negotiating a deal with Channel 4 to allow him out of his six-month contract early.
The BBC announced late on Friday that Thompson has been appointed to succeed Greg Dyke as director general of the Corporation, in a move that finally drew a line under the damage done by the Hutton report.
The Corporation’s recently appointed chairman, Michael Grade, persuaded his fellow governors in a series of meetings held last week to choose Thompson over the BBC’s interim director general, Mark Byford (see BBC Confirms Grade As New Chairman).
Grade said he had chosen a candidate with unquestionable public service credentials and commitment to the BBC’s editorial mission. He also expressed his immense gratitude to Mark Byford for his stewardship of the BBC over the last few difficult months.
He said: “We were impressed by Mark Thompson’s analysis of the challenges facing the BBC, and by his track record. We concluded that he was the right person to lead the BBC at this important period in its history.”
Thompson has always been the favourite to take over the director general’s role from Greg Dyke, who was seen as a strong and decisive leader. However, his intentions remained unclear until the last moment, as he had previously insisted he would turn down any approach from the BBC (see Channel 4 Head Rules Out A Move To The BBC).
Explaining his sudden change of heart, Thompson said at a press conference: “What made the difference for me was what Sonia Ghandi would call my inner voice. I just felt in the end, it was a one-of-a-kind opportunity that I could not pass up.”
He added: “I’m incredibly proud and privileged to have been chosen. The BBC is the greatest broadcasting organisation in the world. It is a unique treasure, which everyone has issues about, but in the end it’s of colossal value. The BBC has a very special part in British life.”
The appointment marks a return to the BBC for Thompson, who worked at the Corporation for more than twenty years, before leaving to take the top job at Channel 4. He has a solid background in public service broadcasting, having been an editor of the Nine O’Clock News, controller of BBC Two and director of television for the Corporation (see Thompson Takes The Helm At Channel 4).
Thompson joins at a crucial time for the BBC, which faces the prospect of immense scrutiny in the run up to Charter Review. The Corporation’s commercial activities have already come under attack and there have been wide-ranging calls for fundamental changes to the way it is governed (see IPA Report Deplores Aggressive And Commercial BBC).
Thompson’s defection leaves Channel 4 with the unenviable task of searching for a new chief executive at a time when it needs strong leadership to guide it into the digital age. Channel 4 chairman, Luke Johnson, is reported to have consulted lawyers about Thompson’s departure and whether or not to let him out of his contract early.
He said: “Mark has been a tremendously effective and popular chief executive and there will be huge regret throughout Channel 4 at his departure. But I think most people here will understand why the BBC has selected him and why he has decided to go.
He added: “My focus now is on appointing his replacement as quickly as possible and ensuring that the momentum that’s been building behind Channel 4 in the last year isn’t lost in the transition. Mark is on six months notice and my expectation is that he’ll stay in the post until we’re in a position to announce his successor.”
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
Recent Television Stories from NewsLine UK Television Market To Become More Competitive ITV Sees Revenue Surge As Euro 2004 Approaches Top Up TV Confirms Appointment Of Freeview Manager
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive