“Tough choices and hard decisions” are to come at the BBC. That is the verdict of new Chair Samir Shah, who kicked off his tenure today by setting his stall out in an all-staff email that urged greater diversity of “class and thought” in the corporation’s news coverage.The email, seen by Deadline, lays bare the tricky financial predicament the BBC finds itself in – having found itself shy of around £100M due to the latest license fee settlement and facing rampant inflation – by saying “we will still need to live within our means in a tough financial situation.”''That involves thinking very hard about what we should stop doing or do very differently,” it adds. “My role – and that of the Board – is to work with the organisation as we confront hard choices and tough decisions.”Shah, who is replacing the disgraced Richard Sharp and has worked for the BBC in various roles across the last three decades, countered that: “It’s not all about pounds, shillings, and pence.”“One of those unmeasurable things is how the BBC projects British values, culture, and influence onto the global stage,” he added. “Taken together – our creative storytelling, our impartial journalism and our global reach – makes the BBC an extraordinary force for good in Britain and the world.”He said he joins at a “crucial time,” with streamers and social media platforms competing for audiences and posing “questions for our future.”Shah, a former current affairs exec who used to run a factual indie, also laid down a marker for the BBC to “be the home of the most trusted news across the UK and, indeed, the world.”“We must be the home for showcasing the full range of British culture and talent – geographically, of course, but also in terms of class and thought (in all its diversity), alongside race, gender and disability,” he added. 9-The reference to diversity of “thought” appears to flag criticisms made about the BBC from time to time over ‘groupthink’ regarding its news coverage.During his pre-appointment grilling by the UK’s Culture, Media & Sport Committee, Shah said that he would “review” the BBC’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War, especially whether the BBC should be referring to Hamas as “terrorists.” He also threatened to ignite a war of words with Gary Lineker by saying the top-paid presenter’s mocking tweets about an MP had broken impartiality rules. Lineker subsequently said Shah’s judgement was wrong during a press lunch last month.Shah added today: “Arguably the most important of my responsibilities is to safeguard [the BBC’s] independence. Our reputation here, and in the rest of the world, rests on this fundamental concept.”Shah has replaced Sharp, who was forced to resign after failing to declare his role in the facilitation of a loan facility for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
© 2024 Deadline.