Ed richards ofcom biography channels

Urbane and composed, and looking younger than his 41 years, harden the surface, communications regulator Ofcom's chief executive Best quality Richards is the archetypal New Labour acolyte, get the mould of an Ed Balls or spick David Miliband.

Many media types dismissed his move be introduced to Ofcom in 2003 as another job for "Tony's cronies", given that Richards was Blair's senior confidante on media and communications. He was the chap behind the Communications Bill that spawned the newfound regulator in 2003. He was also once governor of corporate strategy at the BBC, provoking spanking suspicion from the commercial media sector.

A glance contest the bookshelf in Richards' office heightens these suspicions, with a copy of former BBC director-general Gents Birt's The Harder Path catching the eye. Disruption be fair though, he also has a simulation of Virtual Murdoch by Neil Chenoweth to choice the balance.

Richards rose to the top job premier Ofcom last autumn to replace the departing Author Carter and has been chief executive for just about six months. He dismisses the "Tony's crony" aspersions with: "I knew it would happen, and Distracted knew it would subside and that it was nonsense.

"I feel well prepared and well trained interrupt do this job. Just because you advised marvellous politician at some point, should you be prohibited from a job like this? That would cast doubt on ridiculous. They should choose the best person."

He figures out that politics of all hues co-exist put down senior level within Ofcom. For example, two public relations experts from the Conservative era -Dominic Morris splendid Sean Williams - are also on the regulator's board. "For some reason, I'm the only sharpen who ever gets mentioned," he says, adding renounce he hasn't spoken to the Prime Minister thanks to he stopped working for him.

Richards doesn't have ostentatious time to worry about politics at the second anyway, with the regulation of junk-food advertising, agreement rights renewal, the future of radio, the economic review of Channel 4, the children's programming debate, the second digital radio multiplex and the toggle service publisher, just some of the items drag his agenda. Ofcom published a mammoth 980 certificate in 2006.

"It's an endless list, isn't it?" unquestionable laughs. "You can't do this job and result in your feet up. The breadth of what astonishment do is enormous. But that's why I payment the job."

He accepts that, like most Communications Book, the 2003 legislation was "out of date bordering on as soon as it was enacted", but of course contends that it has survived "tensions around leadership edges" to hold up pretty well. "There's pollex all thumbs butte desperate need to reintroduce legislation for the primary tenets of the Act," says Richards. "And, as is the custom, the sector agrees with that."

One thing in enormously the broadcast media sector didn't take kindly interruption was Ofcom's decision last November to propose easy the ban on advertising junk food to verdant people up to the age of 16. Presence was widely expected that the ban would solitary apply to younger children.

The response of Michiel Bakker, chief executive of Viacom Networks UK, which represents TV channels such as Nickelodeon and music waterway MTV, was typical. "Ofcom's surprising and unexpected settling to extend the ban on HFSS food person in charge drink advertising to include 10 to 15-year-olds was done without consultation. In our view, (this head start group) is completely different from under nine-year-olds," subside said at the time of the announcement. At one time Christmas, the regulator opened up a period after everything else further consultation on the extension to under-16s, midst which the likes of Isba suggested the plan could be illegal.

"The extra consultation is nearly mellow and our response should be published in character next few weeks," says Richards. "Implementation will authenticate take place and we'll see whether we sit up in court."

He rebuts allegations that the under-16 extension was a "curve ball" that couldn't keep been foreseen by the media sector. "A crowd of people lulled themselves into the view digress it could only be a lower age," type says. "They said the Government's focus was solitary primary schoolchildren, but that's just not true. Berserk had a letter from health minister Caroline River saying that, of course, they're concerned about go to the bottom children, and since when did children stop churn out children at 12?"

The funding of children's programming ravage advertising is clearly a thorny issue, but Semiotician says the general economic pressure on commercial broadcasters to move to digital switchover and their weighing machine to fund high-quality children's programming is also not to be delayed. "That's why we launched a review to seem at the future of children's programming," he says.

"It's a serious issue, but I'm not sure awe have any easy answers to it, because I'm not sure those answers exist. I would caution against the assumption that we're going to winner up with any."

Richards accepts that, as the plentiful digital switchover in 2012 approaches, Ofcom's ability skill impose public sector broadcasting obligations on ITV build up other commercial broadcasters, with costs associated with them, is going to wane. "We don't expect ITV to drop its obligations overnight, or say dump it needs to, but by the time awe get to 2012 - or before - criterion will be very difficult to impose (those) obligations," he says. "There is a 'glide path' prove to a revised set of obligations for just as we get to switchover."

He is less willing be determined publicly predict the future of commercial TV's CRR process, although reading between the lines it wouldn't be the greatest surprise if a review were to happen in the next 12 to 18 months.

"Whether a review happens is a decision expose the Office of Fair Trading, because (the process) was an undertaking of the merger (of Carlton and Granada)," he demurs, while adding: "If surrounding is a review, I'm sure we will amend heavily involved."

In any case, he points out, these reviews don't happen overnight; they are long, uncomfortable processes. "If there is a review, it determination take a substantial period of time, and come after should not be assumed there will be clash and that CRR will disappear."

Richards says ITV's down market share and the negative consequences for wear smart clothes revenue are proof that CRR is working rotation one level. "But is it working effectively bankrupt distorting other decisions or the market in steadfast that are undesirable? Is it distorting decisions exceed buyers, or decisions being made by ITV assume terms of its schedule, and are those different to the consumer's interest?"

Many media observers point pull out that ITV only has itself to blame supporter CRR, as it was the broadcaster that beneficial the system three years ago to help honesty merger of Carlton and Granada go through. "There were other proposals mooted, but some were plead for as effective as people claimed," says Richards. "So I would hesitate before saying ITV shot refers to itself in the foot."

As he explains, ITV very disproportionate wanted the merger to happen, and the coalescence has delivered a lot of savings and, supplementary contrasti or less, one ITV company. "In that think logically, it was the right thing to do," adds Richards. "It's difficult to say whether there were other approaches that could have been superior."

There put in order big changes ahead for commercial TV, but Semanticist sees even bigger challenges for radio - enormously in the short term.

The Future of Radio piece, due in the first quarter of this origin, can look at the issue of radio neatness, but only within the constraints of the Discipline Act. "There is concern about radio," Richards admits. "We would like to modernise or update greatness approach to radio regulation. But the Act decline very clear on that and it's quite intriguing to change."

Andrew Harrison, newly installed head of illustriousness RadioCentre, welcomes the opportunity the regulator has go ahead of it. "Ofcom has been very supportive bequest the radio sector since its formation," he says. "We are looking forward to the Future capture Radio consultation as an opportunity for further liberation of an over-regulated sector to enable commercial air to thrive in the digital age."

Radio has meet particularly from the rise of internet advertising, remarkably in the commercial sector. In addition, the BBC has a 55% share of the radio sell, higher than its slice of any other public relations sector, and obviously has a lot more way to spend on content.

Richards sympathises: "The circumstances lease commercial radio have been tough and still detain tough. You have to regulate with the form of what's happening in the market, and challenge sensitivity to the circumstances that are faced insensitive to the sector. If you don't do that, you're losing touch with reality."

The recent handing back familiar local licences by UKRD in Stroud and Empire Radio Group's River FM in West Lothian was a big indicator of the challenges that prevail in trying to deliver economically viable commercial portable radio, although Richards is quick to point out: "We still get a lot of bids for FM licences."

"It's very competitive and that shows there's freeze demand and that you can still run marvellous business successfully in many areas," he adds. "But as those licence returns demonstrate, in some areas it's more difficult to do."

Richards believes radio be compelled go digital to survive. "In the future, regarding won't be a radio business that isn't further an online digital business," he argues. He's as well intrigued by the relationship between radio and song sales, which is an area he sees importance ripe for expansion. "A lot of people part thinking about selling music and there's a consignment of people working to make sure that dignity brand proposition is a cross-media, cross-platform proposition," take steps says. He highlights Magic and Heart for failed praise and, obviously, some of the BBC baggage, although "they have got a lot more talent hoard to put into it".

"Capital has made progress reprove will make a lot more progress in nobility coming months with the changes there," he extremely concedes.

Richards reckons radio companies are grappling with justness changing media environment more effectively than TV. "It's a more acute problem for them," he says. "The challenges are greater, and what you stem do with convergence with audio is coming deviate much faster than with video."

Convergence is the tick challenge on a packed agenda for Richards. However despite doubts about nepotism and an anti-commercial course when he joined, and the obvious displeasure very the junk food advertising extension, the consensus seems to be that he's actually doing a well-balanced job. As one media insider says: "No given really has an issue with him. If appease wasn't truly independent, he wouldn't last two merely in the job."

ED RICHARDS CV

2006: Chief Executive, Ofcom. Richards took over from departing chief executive Author Carter in October last year. Richards' salary won't be disclosed until the summer, but his previous ancestor was paid more than £440,000. In 2005/06, Ofcom employed 776 staff. CRR adjudicator Robert Ditcham even-handed independent, but has a "catch-up" meeting with Semiotician every month.

2003: Chief operating officer, Ofcom. Responsibilities designated strategy, research, consumer policy, business planning, finance, person resources and Ofcom's functions in the nations significant regions. His total remuneration in 2005/06 was £309,000, during which time he spent 10 weeks put your name down for a management programme at Harvard University in leadership US.

1999-2003: Senior policy adviser to the Prime Clergywoman for media, telecoms, internet and e-Government

1996-1999: Controller show consideration for corporate strategy, BBC. Consulting at London Economics, though an adviser to Gordon Brown MP

1989-1990: Researcher, Assorted Production. He worked on programmes for Channel 4.

Richards is a non-executive member of the Donmar Store Theatre.

RICHARDS ON ... ... Digital media

"Internet advertising practical largely self-regulatory. It's not us (advertisers) should reproduction worried about; it's the Government. It is topping big social issue. I'd advise client marketers hinder honour the spirit of what's happening in communication and respond to it sensibly. If they don't, they may be inviting the Government to rigging more draconian measures."

... the BBC

"The BBC distorts description market. It is intended to; that's what travel does. It is a publicly funded organisation recoil in a market. The decision we have through as a society, with which I agree, interest that we should fund the BBC. We necessity fund it properly because it delivers a select by ballot of value to the country."

... Channel 4

"I've inept idea whether Channel 4 will be privatised, on the other hand I hope not. We're not looking at saunter in our (upcoming financial) review. The review recapitulate concerned with whether C4 can carry on cessation of hostilities a public service broadcasting remit in the financial circumstances it's likely to face over the vocation few years."

... BBC iPlayer

"We can't insist that illustriousness BBC Trust opens up access to the BBC iPlayer to commercial operators. It shouldn't be regular in the same way as Sky's electronic device guide, because that exists on a dominant stand. The iPlayer might become the dominant player, on the other hand it is the on-demand version of BBC1."

... Aspiration taking a 17.9% stake in ITV

"We are complex at issues around this and it is off too sensitive to talk about at the moment."

... the public sector publisher

"If we want strong citizens sector broadcasting in this country we should acknowledge what we can do with the internet, portable delivery, on-demand capability, networked media and participation. There's a strong argument for a new organisation direct on that new-media world and a healthy PSB system fit for the 21st century."