Sharp-ish

Richard Sharp's first major speech as BBC Chairman ran to some 2,400 words, and comes out as "difficult to read" on the Flesch Reading Ease index and "hard to read" on Gunning Fog; without stumbles, it should have lasted 13 minutes. 

His writers make many references - Professor Robin Dunbar, evolutionary psychologist; poet John Milton; James Murdoch, once of News Corp; satirist Jonathan Swift; Conservative politician Stanley Baldwin; Stephen Sanger, CEO General Mills; a New York Times editorial from October 2020; former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; and George Orwell.  The best we can give is β-. 

At least Tim Davie and comms supremo John Shield allowed Chairman Sharp make one news item - he was the first to formally confirm the appointment of Jess Brammar as an executive editor in BBC News, a decision approved internally seven days ago. Mr Sharp rewarded his minders with a gaffe; in post-speech conversation with Stephanie Flanders, he described the potential privatisation of C4 as "a little local issue". That's not the way to win media friends.