BBC lifers v new boys

A feature in today's Times by Media Editor Ben Webster cautions The BBC Trust against appointing a “BBC lifer” as the next Director General, quoting the words of media consultant and radio giant John Myers. He says that the replacement for Mark Thompson must have experience outside the BBC and be prepared to argue that “no one dies if you cut a little bit deeper”.

 “If you have someone from within, you won’t know whether — because they have gone a bit native — they are going to make the right cuts compared with someone with no allegiance or history. Internal candidates who have been steeped in BBC life — they think that’s the only way of doing it.  My big question to all these internal candidates is, ‘how do you demonstrate that you are able to make the big decisions?’ ”

Ben's article then goes on to compare and contrast a "New Boy" and a "Lifer". For the new boy, Ben, or his subs, have chosen to examine Tim Davie, formerly of PepsiCo Europe. This clearly has nothing to do with the fact that Tim employed John, a long-distance sparring partner of mine, to review structures at Radio 1, 1Xtra, 2 and 6Music. On the back of that, John was also employed to look at alternative ways of saving money in BBC local radio - this time by David Holdsworth and Helen Boaden.  For "The Lifer" they have chosen George Entwistle.

George is 11/4 second favourite with Paddy Power, behind Caroline Thomson; and favourite with Bodog and Ladbroke's. Tim Davie (consistently "Davey" with the bookies) is 14/1 and up.  Let's see if this shortens the odds in the two weeks before applications close. The mood music along Great Portland Street is not currently in his favour; during Tim's tenure at Audio & Music, the Trust have had to intervene to reverse radio plans to close 6Music and The Asian Network - clearly, in their view, not the "right cuts", whether they came from "a new boy" or not.