U.K. Culture Minister Unveils New BBC Chair

Juniper TV CEO Samir Shah is set to become the new chair of the BBC, the U.K.s culture secretary Lucy Frazer said today. Shah, who has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, will appear before the Culture, Media and Sport committee in the U.K. for whats known as pre-appointment scrutiny before officially taking

Juniper TV CEO Samir Shah is set to become the new chair of the BBC, the U.K.’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer said today.

Shah, who has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, will appear before the Culture, Media and Sport committee in the U.K. for what’s known as “pre-appointment scrutiny” before officially taking up the role, which is worth £160,000 a year ($200,000).

The BBC is one of the U.K.’s public service broadcasters and is also publicly owned, effectively held in trust by the government for the U.K. public. Convention dictates that the candidate for chair is “recommended” to King Charles II and the Lord President of the Council (currently Penny Mordaunt) by the secretary of state for culture (currently Lucy Frazer) and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, following a hearing with the CMS committee and subsequent report.

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“With a career spanning more than 40 years in TV production and journalism, Dr Shah has a wealth of experience to bring to the position of BBC chair,” said Frazer. “He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scrutiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.”

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Before founding Juniper, Shah worked at the BBC, where he was head of current affairs and political programmes, and in 2019 was given a royal honor for services to television and heritage.

“I am delighted to be named the preferred candidate for chair of the BBC and I look forward to the upcoming pre-appointment hearing with the Select Committee,” Shah said. “The BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power.”

“The BBC has a great place in British life and a unique duty to reach a wide audience right across the country and I will do all I can to ensure it fulfils this in an increasingly competitive market.”

The previous chair, Richard Sharp, stood down after failing to disclose his role in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempts to secure a loan.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We welcome the announcement that Samir Shah has been selected as the Government’s preferred candidate to take up the role of BBC Chair and look forward to him joining the Board once the formal process has been completed.”

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