Licence fee future now in the hands of new BBC boss
TIM Davie, one of the BBC’s most senior executives, will be the broadcaster’s new director general.
The 53-year-old has been promoted from chief executive of BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary that makes programmes and also sells them abroad.
But he will take a pay cut when he replaces Tony Hall in September as the Corporation’s 17th director general in its 98-year history.
His wage is set at £525,000 a year, which is £75,000 more than Lord Hall yet £75,000 less than he was getting at BBC Studios.
However, he will be paid the same as his predecessor until next August – as all senior managers are currently on salary freeze.
Mr Davie has been regarded as a main player in earning the BBC money commercialising programmes, such as Doctor Who and Top Gear, around the world. He was acting director general after the resignation of George Entwistle in 2012.
His top priorities will include negotiating with the Government about the future of the licence fee. Mr Davie said: “This has been a critical time for the UK and these past few months have shown just how much the BBC matters to people. “Our mission has never been more relevant, important or necessary. I have a deep commitment to content of the highest quality and impartiality. “We will need to accelerate change so that we serve all our audiences in this fast-moving world.”
Sir David Clementi, chairman of the BBC board, said: “Tim’s leadership will ensure we are well placed to meet the opportunities and challenges of the coming years.”
Lord Hall said he was “delighted” and insisted the BBC would be in “safe hands” with Mr Davie.
But critics slammed the decision. Carrie Gracie, the BBC’s former China editor who battled to get equal pay with men, said: “It would have been right to have a woman now. It is disappointing.
“I feel Tim understands the challenges of the BBC. He is a man with a plan. But he is white, male and Oxbridge – he’s not diverse.”
Mr Davie went to fee-paying Whitgift School in Surrey but he got his place on a scholarship. He was the first member of his family to go to university.
Before joining the BBC in 2005, he worked in marketing at PepsiCo Europe and Procter & Gamble.