MUMBAI: As part of its restructuring exercise, BBC has combined the functions of chief operating officer and the chief financial officer under one person.

Anne Bulford has been made MD finance and operations, making her run the twin roles of COO and CFO.

Bulford, who will sit on the BBC?s Executive and Worldwide Boards, will oversee the finance, operations, technology, legal, risk and assurance and property functions. The role will also cover commercial rights and business affairs.

Her appointment follows the announcement last year that the BBC?s current CFO Zarin Patel will be stepping down. It also follows the closure of the COO post last September.

Incoming DG Tony Hall said, "Anne?s appointment is another significant step towards building a senior management team with the creative and strategic skills to lead the BBC for the next decade. She is a remarkable talent with a very impressive track record and we are very lucky to have secured her skills for the BBC in such a competitive market. I would also like to thank Zarin for her excellent stewardship of the Finance division over the last eight years."

Bulford is currently Channel 4 COO. She said, "I am really looking forward to returning to the BBC. I have such great respect for the organisation and cannot wait to come back and be a part of the new management team. I am also very pleased to be working with Tony once again."

Bulford begins her new role this summer. She will be paid a total package of ?395,000.

NEW DELHI: After charges last year that its television signals had been blocked, the British Broadcasting Corporation has now said that radio broadcasts of BBC World Service in English are being jammed in China.

"The BBC has received reports that World Service English shortwave frequencies are being jammed in China," the public service broadcaster said, adding that it ?strongly condemns this action which is designed to disrupt audiences? free access to news and information."

"Though it is not possible at this stage to attribute the source of the jamming definitively, the extensive and coordinated efforts are indicative of a well-resourced country such as China," a statement issued in London said.

The BBC said it had experienced jamming of satellite broadcasts over the past two years, and that while shortwave jamming was generally less frequent, it did also affect Persian-language transmissions in Iran.

"The jamming of shortwave transmissions is being timed to cause maximum disruption to BBC World Service English broadcasts in China," said BBC Global News Director Peter Horrocks.

"The deliberate and coordinated efforts by authorities in countries such as China and Iran illustrate the significance and importance of the role the BBC undertakes to provide impartial and accurate information to audiences around the world."

China, which enforces strict restrictions on its domestic media, has been accused by several prominent foreign media of seeking to stop their news reports reaching Chinese audiences.

It is not the first time the BBC had complained of disruption to its services in China, where its website has been consistently blocked. It accused the Chinese authorities of jamming its BBC World News TV channel last year when it broadcast stories regarded as sensitive, such as reports on dissident Chen Guangcheng, who escaped from house arrest and sought refuge in the U.S. embassy.

Other foreign broadcasters including U.S. state-funded radio stations Voice of America and Radio Free Asia have also complained of Beijing blocking access to their programs.

The New York Times reported on 30 January that Chinese hackers had been attacking its computer systems while it was working on an investigative report in October last year on the fortune accumulated by relatives of outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao.

China is listed at number 173 out of 179 countries on the World Press Freedom Index compiled by campaign group Reporters Without Border.

MUMBAI: Mentorn Media has been commissioned by BBC Three to make a fast-turnaround special on the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, allegedly shot to death by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius. The programme will be pre-sold by Passion Distribution.

Pistorius, who won two Gold medals and a Silver at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012, is accused of murder, though pleads not guilty.

The one hour special is commissioned by Fiona Campbell of the BBC and the executive producer for Mentorn is Steve Anderson. The producer/director is Nick London and associate producer is Shekhar Bhatia. The presenter is Rick Edwards, who recently made his debut fronting BBC Three?s Free Speech and who presented Paralympics coverage for Channel 4.

Mentorn made BBC Three?s recent fast-turnaround special ?Superstorm Sandy: Caught On Camera? and were also in South Africa to make ?Dispatches: Murder On Honeymoon? on the case of Anni Dewani.

BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said, "BBC Three is never afraid to tackle current affairs and we are committed to showing bold, thought-provoking programmes for 16-34s. Mentorn will be producing this programme at incredible speed, and together with presenter Rick Edwards, I?m sure they will deliver a documentary that will bring a new angle to this ever developing news story."

Anderson said, "The story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp has captured everyone?s attention. It is hugely important and Mentorn has the expertise to deliver it quickly to BBC Three."

MUMBAI: BBC has announced the appointment of Damian Kavanagh as Controller, BBC Daytime.

Reporting into BBC One Controller Danny Cohen, Kavanagh will have responsibility for all daytime commissioning across BBC One and BBC Two, alongside The One Show and 6-7pm on BBC Two.

Kavanagh said, ?It was a very difficult decision to leave Channel 4 but BBC Daytime has a unique range of top quality content, from The One Show to programmes like Father Brown, Pointless and Great Railway Journeys. I really can?t wait to get started.?

Kavanagh replaces former BBC Daytime Controller Liam Keelan, who is now Global Editorial Director .

Cohen said, "Damian has a fantastic blend of editorial and scheduling experience and he?s a team-player. I?m very certain that he will build on the great success of Liam Keelan and the talented Daytime team."

MUMBAI: The incoming BBC DG Tony Hall is building a senior team that is set to define the BBC and public service broadcasting in the UK for the next decade.

In the first in a series of appointments to the BBC?s senior management team, James Purnell, currently a senior producer at Rare Day and adviser to the Boston Consulting Group, has been appointed as Director, Strategy and Digital.

Purnell is a former Secretary of State for Culture, and is on the board of the British Film Institute and the Royal National Theatre. He is returning to the BBC, having been Head of Corporate Planning in the 1990s. He will lead on developing the BBC?s strategy, in the build up to the BBC?s centenary. To that end, his remit will include running the Policy & Strategy, Digital, Public Affairs & Communications, and Marketing & Audiences divisions.

?I?m really excited to be coming back to the BBC, to work on its future with such a great team. Over the last couple of years, producing and developing programmes has rekindled my passion for the career I had before politics. I feel very lucky to have the chance to return to the BBC at such an important time,? says Purnell.

Hall has also announced that following nearly five months as Acting DG, Tim Davie?s new role at BBC Worldwide has been expanded to incorporate a more strategic global perspective. As CEO, BBC Worldwide and Director, Global, Davie will be responsible for developing the BBC?s international brand and editorial strategy.

"I am very pleased to take on the important task of building the BBC brand globally and leading a growing, creative BBC Worldwide," says Davie.

As well as the appointments above, Helen Boaden will be taking up the post of Director, BBC Radio (formerly Director A&M).

Boaden, who is currently Director, BBC News is a former Controller of BBC Radio 4 and had a long track record in radio before joining News. During her time at Radio 4, the network won Sony Radio Academy Station of the Year for two consecutive years in 2003 and 2004.

The BBC will now begin the process of recruiting a new Director, BBC News, and Director, BBC Television. These posts will be advertised shortly.

Says Hall, ?There will be more changes over the coming months and there is a lot of hard work ahead but today?s appointments are the first steps in delivering that vision.