MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC will consult on proposals for a redundancy and severance pay cap of GBP 150,000 from September 2013 for all BBC senior managers. BBC DG Tony Hall made the announcement.

Under the proposals, changes will be made to redundancy, severance entitlement and notice periods for all senior managers including the BBC DG.

Hall said, "The BBC cannot be deaf to concerns about BBC staff pay-offs. These are difficult economic times for people across the country and the BBC is not immune from them. The financial settlements of the past cannot be justified in the future. We will consult on these proposals over the coming weeks but I believe they represent a fair way forward for staff and for license fee payers.

"I appreciate that making changes to existing contracts is never easy. But it is to the great credit of the senior leadership team at the BBC that there is broad recognition of the need for change."

The proposals would entitle senior managers to redundancy of one month?s pay for each year of service up to a maximum of 12 months? salary or GBP 150,000 - whichever is the lower. This brings the BBC into greater alignment with other industry comparators and the Civil Service who have a similar eligible pay cap.

As part of the new guidelines, all BBC executive board members would have their notice period reduced from 12 months to six months. Where staff resign or are made redundant they would be expected to work their notice in full.

Where termination discussions were already underway for those senior staff members planning to leave between now and September the BBC will not seek to impose these new conditions. It will work with these individuals to find the best way forward. In a small number of cases this may mean some staff leaving with settlements above GBP 150,000 but these negotiations are ongoing.

The BBC will consult on the new proposals with relevant staff and unions which are planned to come into force from 1 September 2013.

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has announced that BBC One controller, Danny Cohen has been appointed as BBC Television director.

Cohen?s appointment follows an open recruitment process and is the final addition to new director-General Tony Hall?s senior management team.

He will sit on the BBC?s executive and management boards and will oversee the BBC?s four main channels, BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four alongside BBC iPlayer and online content for BBC Television. He also oversees the drama, entertainment, knowledge and comedy genres as well as BBC Films. In addition, he will be responsible for the BBC Television archive and BBC Productions, Europe?s largest television production group.

Hall said, "Danny Cohen has been the driving force behind an extremely successful period in BBC One?s history. Key to his success has been an ability to provide viewers with a mixture of high quality programmes they enjoy whilst also introducing them to new subjects they might not have considered before. I am looking forward to seeing his impressive mix of creativity and vision being put to great effect across the whole of the BBC Television portfolio."

Cohen said, "I?m honoured to be taking over as director of BBC Television. Our ambition is to be the finest broadcaster and producer in the world and our values will be based on talent, creativity, storytelling and innovation. I?ve had a wonderful time at BBC One and am grateful for the work of all the talented people who have made the channel the most popular in the UK in recent years."

Cohen begins his new role on 7 May. He will be paid a total package of GBP 327,800.

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has appointed British journalist James Harding as BBC News and Current Affairs director following an open recruitment process. Harding begins his new role in August.

Harding, who will sit on the BBC?s executive and management boards, will oversee the BBC?s News and Current Affairs programming.

BBC News provides news and analysis to audiences in the UK and internationally. The division employs over 8,000 staff working across Network News, English Regions and Global News.

Harding previously worked at The Times where he was editor from 2007 until 2012. Before that he held a number of international posts at the Financial Times. He replaces Helen Boaden who has taken up the role of BBC Radio director.

Dedicated teams work together to reach over 80 per cent of people in the UK every week. BBC News is responsible for daily bulletins on the BBC?s main TV channels and radio stations, as well as flagship programmes like ?Today?, ?Newsnight?, ?Question Time? and ?Panorama?. It also produces and runs regional TV and radio news programmes in England, the BBC News website, the BBC News Channel, BBC Parliament and BBC Radio 5 live.

BBC DG Tony Hall said, "I am delighted that James will be joining as the new Director of BBC News and Current Affairs. High quality journalism sits right at the heart of the BBC making this is an absolutely critical role.

"James has a very impressive track record as a journalist, editor and manager. I believe he will give BBC News a renewed sense of purpose as it moves away from what has been an undeniably difficult chapter. As an organisation, the BBC will also benefit from his external perspective and experience which he will share as a member of the BBC?s Executive team."

Harding said, "The BBC?s newsroom strives to be the best in the world, trusted for its accuracy, respected for its fairness and admired for the courage of its reporting. I am honoured to be a part of it."

MUMBAI: Tony Hall, the UK pubcaster BBC?s new Director General, today set out the ?next chapter? for the BBC, telling staff that he believed "with imagination and hard work, the BBC?s best days lie ahead of us.?

In an email to all staff on taking charge of his new assignment, he outlined a number of questions he believes the BBC needs to address over the coming months. He told staff that he wants to listen to their views, which - along with those of audiences and partners - will be key in shaping the BBC?s ambitions. He will review these themes with the BBC Trust and then set out his thinking in the autumn.

He noted that the BBC is a very special organisation as it enriches millions of lives every day, here and the world over. ?It provokes strong opinions because people care passionately about it. The BBC has a unique history, a special place in the country?s heart and a vital part to play in its future. So I have a very real sense of the responsibility that comes with the role.

?Recent times have been difficult for the BBC, but obviously far more so for those directly affected by these events. We are learning the lessons and thanks to the hard work of staff across the organisation under Tim?s excellent leadership, the BBC has moved forward. We are now winning back trust, something which will always be the most precious commodity for our organisation. We must never take it for granted,? he said.
He added that he is confident about the future for the BBC for two key reasons: the calibre and quality of its people and the values everybody in the media organisation shares.

He said that his job is to enable the employees to do the best work, producing outstanding programmes and services, and to remove the distractions that get in the way of that ambition. ?The BBC sets incredibly high standards. At our best we provide a service like no other. Our challenge is to perform at our best all of the time. In the coming weeks, I will set out how we can all shape the next chapter for the BBC as we move towards our centenary in 2022. Later this year I will share my thinking with the Trust before outlining our new ambitions for the BBC. We will need to make the most compelling case possible by listening to our audiences and partners, and building on our many strengths.?

He said that the questions the company needs to ask itself include:

• How can we further improve the quality and distinctiveness of our programmes?
• How can we get closer to our audiences so they can get the content they want, when and how they want it?
• How can we build an ever more creative and dynamic organisation where the best creative talents want to work?
• What are the next big trends in technology and consumption that we need to grasp as we did with BBC Online and iPlayer?
• How can we act as a catalyst for creative and digital economies, a global champion for the UK and a source of future jobs?
• How can we make more of the BBC brand and content in the global marketplace?
• How can we improve what it is like to work at the BBC?
• How can we meet all of these ambitions within the means of the Licence Fee?

?There are obviously other big questions and we must address them all whilst adapting to the ways in which Britain, its society, nations and regions are changing.

?Critically this means me listening to you. Over the coming months I want to hear your thoughts about this next stage of our journey. I will be getting out around the BBC as much as possible.

?I am proud to be leading the BBC as we start this next chapter together. We have always been pioneers. As we move towards our centenary it is a time for the BBC to be self-confident and optimistic about the future. You produce brilliant programmes and content, day in, day out. There can be no complacency but I firmly believe with imagination and hard work the BBC?s best days lie ahead of us.?