A rare changing of the media guard at the Church of England. The 70-year-old bishop of Manchester, Nigel McCulloch, the CoE's lead spokesman on media matters since 1993, is to be succeeded by the bishop of Norwich, Graham James. James, 51, is an energetic and confident figure, a natural communicator, who is deeply concerned about the decaying state of local media, press and radio. He also help set up the Standing Conference on Media Issues in 2009 to act as a forum for debate after the 2003 Communications Act downgraded religious broadcasting on commercial networks. The appointment to such a sensitive post is made by the archbishops of York and Canterbury, John Sentamu and Dr Rowan Williams. McCulloch meanwhile has one final duty: he's been asked to apply his careful diplomacy to the issue convulsing the church, women bishops.
