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May 29th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda - Ed Richards confirms candidacy for director general position
- Mark Thompson will step down from role after Olympics
By
Paul Revoir
18:59 EST, 28 May 2012
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18:59 EST, 28 May 2012
In the running: Ed Richards confirmed his candidacy for the BBC job after months of speculation
Ofcom boss Ed Richards has applied to be the next director general of the BBC and has already stepped aside from any work related to the broadcaster, it was confirmed yesterday.
The head of the UK media regulator issued a statement confirming his candidacy after months of speculation that he wanted to take over from Mark Thompson, who is stepping down after the Olympics.
The confirmation from the regulator came after a report at the weekend which saw two senior MPs raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest caused by his bid for the new job.
It was pointed out that over the past six months he has been overseeing an inquiry at Ofcom which is looking at whether the BBC should be included in a new way of defining media ‘plurality’.
This could see Ofcom considering whether the BBC’s share of the market should be limited in a similar way that private companies in the media are.
A statement put out by the regulator yesterday admitted he had applied for the role, but claimed ‘robust procedures’ had been put in place to ‘prevent any potential conflict of interest’.
It said Mr Richards had already ‘stepped aside’ from any matters where the BBC might have an interest, this is said to include board meetings, executive meetings and policy discussions ‘both formal and informal’.
Odds on Mr Richards have narrowed considerably in recent weeks and he is now regarded by many as the favourite for the job. However any appointment would be likely to be controversial given his Labour Party links and also because, as head of the media regulator, he is privy to sensitive information about commercial broadcasters such as ITV and Channel 4.
He could be forced to take a lengthy period of gardening leave before he joined the BBC.
Mark Thompson is stepping down as BBC Director General after the Olympics
Other names vying for the top job at the BBC are the corporation’s TV boss George Entwistle, its chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, BBC news chief Helen Boaden and director of audio and music Tim Davie.
Mr Richards, whose total pay is just over £381,000, is currently in control of 750 staff, whereas at the BBC he would be in charge of about 20,000 people. But because of his salary he would not be put off by the fact that the new director general will be on considerably less than Mr Thompson’s most recent total pay figure was £671,000.
Initial interviews are expected to take place in the next couple of weeks, before this is whittled down to three or four candidates who will go through final interviews after that. Lord Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust, will lead the team that make the final decision on the appointment.
There are rumours that he would favour an external candidate, but Mr Richards remains the only confirmed candidate to come from outside the BBC.
The Ofcom boss has been involved in UK media policy for many years.
He served as Tony Blair’s policy advisor at Number 10 and was involved in the drafting of the Communications Act which created media regulator Ofcom before he joined the organisation as a senior partner. He became chief operating officer then and then replaced Lord Carter as chief executive in 2006.
The media executive can boast experience of having worked for the BBC. He served there under former director general Lord Birt in the role of controller of corporate strategy.
Ofcom’s statement yesterday read: ‘Given the significant level of speculation surrounding potential applicants for the BBC Director General role, Ofcom can confirm that CEO Ed Richards has applied.
‘Robust procedures, agreed by the Ofcom Chairman and the Board, have been put in place to prevent any potential conflict of interest.
‘Ed has already stepped aside from all discussions and communication at all levels on matters where the BBC may have an interest. This includes Board meetings, executive meetings and policy discussions, both formal and informal.’
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So the right wing press claim the BBC is left wing. The left wing press say the BBC is right wing. So I guess that means the BBC gives a pretty balanced view
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Another lefty to run the BBC, just what we need.
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Do you ever get those days when you are seeing double? This article appears twice on the on line ‘home’ page! Or is it just me?
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One of Blair’s Boys. I thought we had had enough of New Labour and the PC loonies.
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