BBC Trust nominee grilled by MPs September 9, 2014 RONA Fairhead, the preferred candidate for chairmanship of the BBC Trust, faced a grilling by MPs yesterday morning, including questions over her role during the HSBC Mexico money laundering scandal and her Pearson pay off. Fairhead was the chair of HSBC’s risk committee at the time of the case, which resulted in the bank being [...]
BBC Trust candidate Fairhead quizzed over HSBC money laundering scandal September 9, 2014 Rona Fairhead, the preferred candidate for chairmanship of the BBC Trust, faced a grilling by MPs this morning, including questions over her role during the HSBC Mexico money laundering scandal and her Pearson pay off. Fairhead was the chair of HSBC's risk committee at the time of the case, which resulted in the bank [...]
CBeebies schools to open in China as part of BBC tie-up with Popular September 7, 2014 THE BBC’S commercial arm has signed a deal with Singapore-based Popular Holdings to roll out a chain of CBeebies-branded English-language schools across China. Starting with openings in Shanghai, followed by Beijing and across mainland China and Hong Kong over the coming years, the deal will see the BBC receive licensing fees from the use of [...]
No Blue Peter badge for Sajid Javid as he lives the dream at BBC studio September 4, 2014 The Rt Hon Member of Parliament for Bromsgrove and UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport Sajid Javid is no luvvie. Not a bit of it. However, when it comes to reliving his childhood, he’ll jump at the opportunity. Yesterday, Sajid was doing a tour of TV studios, as you do, taking in [...]
“Fear and loathing” at BBC as staff vote to strike (again) September 1, 2014 BBC staff have voted for strike action over redundancies and cuts at the BBC, according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Members voted for strike action by a massive 73.6 per cent of the vote. The figure rose to 86.9 per cent of members when they were asked whether they should take action [...]
BBC Trust go for Rona Fairhead – its first female chair August 31, 2014 Former Financial Times Group boss Rona Fairhead will become the new chairman of the BBC Trust, the government announced yesterday. Yesterday culture secretary Sajid Javid announced Fairhead was the preferred candidate to replace Lord Patten, who stepped down in May due to ill health after three turbulent years overseeing the broadcaster. Fairhead, 53 [...]
BBC Trust on the cusp of first female chair August 31, 2014 The BBC Trust is set to gain its first female chair in the form of Rona Fairhead the ex-chief of the Financial Times Group. On Saturday culture secretary Sajid Javid announced Fairhead was the preferred candidate to replace Lord Patten, who stepped down in May. Fairhead, 53 and graduate of Harvard Business School would be [...]
BBC refuses Russian request to remove web story in Kremlin media crackdown August 5, 2014 The BBC has refused a request by Russia’s state media watchdog to remove an interview with the activist and artist Artem Loskutov from its Russian service website which the government deems “extremist”. Roskomnadzor, the state-run media regulator, requested the story published on 31 July be removed from bbcrussia.com to comply with the country’s laws on [...]
Forget the licence fee: Why Game of Thrones damns the case for a universal BBC July 21, 2014 Ahead of the 2016 Charter Review, the BBC is bunkering down to defend its funding through the licence fee. Last week alone saw director-general Tony Hall and head of policy James Heath robustly justify the continuation of the £145.50 annual charge for all those households who watch any type of live TV. It would be [...]
Evan Davis to fill Paxman’s shoes on BBC Newsnight July 21, 2014 Evan Davis, one of the most well-known voices of Radio 4’s Today programme, will replace Jeremy Paxman as the main host of BBC Newsnight after the famously forthright presenter maid his stage exit last month after 25 years. A former economics editor of the flagship current affairs show Newsnight, as well as BBC News, Davis [...]