Hold Me Now

It's the Thom(p)son Twins in charge at the BBC. Mark and Caroline's plan is being slowly revealed. I suspect it has been cooking up since the huge 90% rejection of the corporation's pension reform at the start of September.  They've managed to keep cards close to their chest for some time; people who spent time with Mark Byford three weeks ago tell me his conversation was that of man planning a range of BBC activities in 2012.

Peter Salmon is to step down from the Executive Board as Director of BBC North. The rumour (offered here yesterday at 0930) was confirmed this morning, and Peter was able to tip off Manchester site How Do pretty quickly.  One piece of misdirection yesterday from the BBC - Sharon Baylay,  first announced yesterday as merely stepping down from the Executive, is being made redundant from her role as Director of Marketing and Communications. One suspects that was always the plan, and there was some late to-ing and fro-ing over the terms of the settlement.

The new structure features an Operating Board sitting below the Executive, chaired by Thomson, C (to whom we will return) bundling together a wide range of support groups who do not directly make output.  

This from the DG "My objective is simplification – simplifying reporting lines, simplifying structures and reducing the number of senior managers. No one should doubt our continuing belief in the importance of the work done by these divisions and the crucial role they have to play in the future of the BBC"