Indian-origin media veteran Dr Samir Shah named new BBC chairman

Samir Shah, a seasoned television executive, has been chosen as the upcoming chairman of the BBC, the United Kingdom’s public broadcasting corporation, as announced by the government on Wednesday. This decision comes approximately eight months after a political scandal prompted the resignation of the former chairman, Richard Sharp. Mr. Shah’s appointment is contingent on scrutiny by lawmakers.

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Background

Mr. Sharp stepped down in April after an investigation found that he had failed to disclose his involvement in arranging a loan of nearly $1 million to Boris Johnson while he was prime minister.

A former Goldman Sachs banker and adviser to the British government, Mr. Sharp took on the role of BBC chairman in early 2021. He had previously donated to the governing Conservative Party and was reportedly advising his former employee Rishi Sunak when Mr. Sunak was chancellor of the Exchequer. Some saw Mr. Sharp’s ties to the government as a potential benefit to the broadcaster during a critical period in which it was in negotiations with lawmakers about its funding and a review of its charter, which sets out its mission and public purpose.

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The BBC is facing questions over its funding

Even as the BBC continues to command a central position in the British media and broadcasts around the world, it has been rocked in recent years by leadership changes, attacks on its impartiality and a deep squeeze on its funding that has led to substantial cost-cutting. The chairman serves as an essential face of the BBC and interacts with government.

As chairman, Mr. Sharp came to a deal with the government over its license fee, which is charged each year to any household with a TV and makes up about two-thirds of the BBC’s funding. The fee was frozen for two years but is set to rise in line with inflation for four years starting in April.

Still, it leaves the broadcaster under intense financial pressures as it struggles to compete with streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Last month, the BBC announced plans to cut spending on news services as part of a recent plan to save 500 million pounds.

The broadcaster will soon be in negotiations with the government about its charter, which expires in 2027. Those talks are expected to include a discussion about alternative funding models.

“It was very clear that the government was very intent on producing a squeaky clean appointment process,” said Alice Enders, director of research at the media research firm Enders Analysis.

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