LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – British television executive Samir Shah has been chosen by the Government to chair the BBC news network, Culture Minister Lucy Frazer said on Wednesday.
Shah, 71, is the chief executive of production company Juniper TV and previously worked at the BBC and London Weekend Television, a franchise of the ITV commercial network.
“Shah has a wealth of experience to bring to the role of BBC Chairman,” Frazer said in a post on X.
“He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt that he will provide the support and scrutiny the BBC needs to meet the challenges of the future.”
The BBC is funded by a license fee paid by television viewing households and is politically independent, but its chairman is appointed by the Government.
Shah, who was born in India and has worked in radio and television for more than four decades, will be questioned by a parliamentary committee before his official appointment.
“The BBC occupies a prominent place in British life and has a unique duty to reach a wide audience across the country. I will do everything in my power to ensure it achieves this in an increasingly competitive market,” he said. .
Its previous chairman, Richard Sharp, resigned in April after failing to reveal that he had played a role in securing a $1 million loan for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“We welcome the announcement that Samir Shah has been selected as the Government’s preferred candidate to take up the role of BBC Chairman and look forward to him joining the Board once the formal process has concluded,” a spokesperson for the BBC said. BBC.
BBC board member Elan Closs Stephens had become interim chairman of the broadcaster following Sharp’s resignation.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle, Girl M and Kylie MacLellan. Editing in Spanish by Marion Giraldo and Aida Pelaez-Fernandez)
2023-12-06 18:02:31
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