A few names swirl from the mists over the pending chair of the new BBC unitary board. John Makinson, chair of Random House Penguin, and a former FT journalist. Roger Parry, chair of YouGov, and a former BBC journalist. Sir David Clementi, former chair of the Prudential and no one’s idea of a journalist, but author of the report that clinched the demise of the BBC Trust and handed its regulatory role to Ofcom.
Which, in turn, puts Ofcom itself in the frame. Here’s the Sky deal coming over for a decision. But here, too, from April on, is regulation of the BBC and thus of every commanding height in British broadcasting. Will that mean a separate BBC-watching sub-board in Southwark Bridge Road, as Clementi recommended? If so, who’ll lead it?
There’s a strange radio silence on such crucial points. “Between now and the effective date, Ofcom will be working hard to ensure that we have the right people and procedures in place so that we can deliver our new responsibilities effectively and efficiently,” says its first report on regulatory governance. Reassurance in the same league as Brexit means Brexit?
