New BBC Chair Samir Shah Kicks Off His Tenure By Telling Staff Of “Tough Choices & Hard Decisions” To Come

deadline.com:

“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 ($126M) 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.” Diversity of thought “We must be the home for showcasing the full range of British culture and talent – geographically, of course,