Channel 4 job could be decided on Monday

by Claire Billings,, Brand Republic 06-Dec-01, 08:31

LONDON - The appointment of the new chief executive of Channel 4 could be decided as early as next week, following the second round of interviews this week ahead of a board meeting scheduled for Monday.

As many as 10 candidates are understood to have applied for the job, left open when Michael Jackson unexpectedly quit to join USA Entertainment, part of USA Networks, in July.

Channel 4 has remained tight-lipped about the names of potential successors to Jackson. However, there has been a great deal of speculation in the industry about who has applied for the job.

The most recent shortlist reported in the media emerged after TV producer Peter Bazalgette and Channel 5 chief executive Dawn Airey withdrew their names from the race.

The latest reported shortlist includes: Lord Waheed Alli, founder of Big Breakfast production company Planet 24; Peter Finch, the head of Talkback Productions, the company behind They Think it's All Over; Jana Bennett, the former head of science at the BBC; and Mark Thompson, BBC director of television.

Channel 4 chairman Vanni Treves has been heading the selection process with the help of director of programmes Tim Gardam, once the favourite internal candidate for the post, and managing director David Scott.

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