What's going on at the Beeb

Well, I am back from a restful (hah) holiday in the States. Truth be told it was a lot of Shopping, drinking, family and of course eating!

Flew in last night and was wondering what I would post about now that I am back. I gathered the energy to scan the net in search of what was going on and truth be told I needn't of looked any further than BBC News with the big story today that Michael Grade has defected.

Maybe it has something to do with the pay hike in base rate from £140K at the Beeb to £850K at ITV, or the shares, or the bonuses. Or maybe the answer lies in the email he sent to everyone at the BBC.

I would like everyone to understand this is a career decision. What it is NOT is a reaction to anything, internal or external. I was faced with the choice of getting back into programming or ‘governing’ the BBC from a distance...

ITV is a competitor to the BBC, yes. BUT the BBC does need ITV to be strong, both for competitive reasons and to maintain the balance of power within British public service broadcasting. So I leave with the feeling that I have done the best I can to secure the future of the institution about which I will always care so deeply, I leave with some sadness because of all the friends old and new who have been my support over the past two and a half years.