Lord Terrance Burns has recently been made the new chairman of Channel 4. In a lengthy battle to find the best candidate, Ofcom chose the former Marks & Spencer chairman as their favourite.
Burns joins the company at a difficult time, not only for the broadcaster but also for the industry in general. He faces serious challenges and will need to excel from day one.
Chantél du Plooy takes a look at the problems looming ahead and discovers why Lord Burns is the best man for the job.
Challenges facing Lord “Fixit”
Lord Burns will start at Channel 4 without delay. Although Luke Johnson’s retirement from the broadcaster won’t be effective until end of January, Burns will need to step in immediately as chairman designate.
Terry’s first job will be to find a suitable replacement for chief executive Andy Duncan. Duncan will leave the company before the end of the year, leaving little time for Burns, former Treasury secretary, to settle into his new role.
The economy has influenced each and every sector; however, the media industry has taken a huge hit. Brands have cut their advertising budgets drastically. And now, broadcasters have to experiment, innovate and pioneer new ways to improve a station’s viewer numbers and also increase its charm offensive to attract more advertisers.
Government has rejected the channel’s request for public money. Therefore the broadcaster’s future depends on a combined venture between Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide. The complicated venture is something that Lord Burns will need to secure.
Another challenge for Burns and members of Channel 4’s top management include the Conservative government’s promise to cut the broadcaster’s executive salaries. The promise will be effective if the Tories win the next election.
These off putting demands are no secret to Lord Burns and it is with exceptional glee that he joins the team. He commented in a statement: “I am delighted to be joining Channel 4.
“This is a time of great change as we experience the impact of the rapid development of digital technology in the communications sector and Channel 4 has a very special and continuing role to play.”
Lord Burns isn’t dubbed Lord “Fixit”, or even in some circles, “Teflon” Terry, for nothing.
Colette Bowe, the chairman of Ofcom, Britain’s media regulator expressed her confidence in Lord Burns and said: “I am delighted that we have been able to appoint someone of Terry Burns’s calibre.
“He has an outstanding record of public service and a real depth of commercial expertise. He will provide strong leadership at a time of considerable change in the broadcasting world.”
Liking “tricky problems”
As a British Economist with honorary doctorates and professorships from five British universities, Terry Burns has had an interesting career to date. Burns has experienced a colourful job roles as Professor, Chief Economic Adviser and Permanent Secretary to the Treasury.
He has been chairman of a magnitude of leading companies like Abbey Nation plc, Marks & Spencer Group as well as the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra.
In 1983, Terrance Burns was knighted. In 1995 he received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) and was made a life peer as Baron Burns of Pitshanger in the London Borough of Ealing in 1998.
He has a reputation for sorting out scandals and according to the BBC News, Lord Burns commented that he likes “tricky problems”.
One such a problem which Burns sorted was in 1999 where he reversed the Lottery Commission’s decision successfully. In just over two months he managed to convince the commission to award the franchise to Sir Richard Branson’s People’s Lottery without including Camelot from the bidding.
Excelling from day one
A man like Lord Terrance Burns, who has worked in different high profile positions over the years, hardly needs advice on how to cope with being “the new guy”. But the entire media industry will wait with baited breadth to see how he gets on in his new role.
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