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Scandal-Scarred BBC Names Opera Chief as Leader Scandal-Scarred BBC Names Opera Chief as Leader
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LONDON — The British Broadcasting Corporation sought to overcome its worst crisis in years on Thursday by appointing a former BBC news executive who went on to head the Royal Opera House as its new director general, urging him to rebuild public trust shredded by a scandal over botched reporting of sexual abuse. LONDON — The British Broadcasting Corporation sought to overcome its worst crisis in years on Thursday by appointing a former BBC news executive who heads the Royal Opera House as its new director general, urging him to rebuild public trust shredded by a scandal over botched reporting of sexual abuse.
The appointee, Tony Hall, 61, will replace George Entwistle who resigned earlier this month and became the most prominent casualty of the affair. The appointee, Tony Hall, 61, will start in March. He replaces George Entwistle, the most prominent casualty of the scandal, who resigned earlier this month.
When Lord Hall takes over in March, the BBC said, his principal task will be to restore faith and confidence in the integrity of an organization that is not only a national institution and Britain’s public broadcaster, but also a sprawling bureaucracy financed by a compulsory license fee levied on most television-set owners. The appointment won enthusiastic approval from a wide spectrum of politicians, media commentators and current and former BBC staff members. Mr. Hall spent 28 years at the BBC, starting as a news trainee and rising to lead the BBC’s news and current affairs department from 1996 to 2001. His record of innovation includes overseeing the launch of the BBC Web site, the broadcaster’s 24-hour news channel, and Radio 5 Live, a widely popular, news-and-sport radio channel. He moved to the opera 11 years ago at a time of artistic and financial disarray. He succeeded in stabilizing — as well as popularizing — what has long been seen as one of the world’s top opera houses. Mr. Hall was honored as a life peer in 2010, acquiring the title Baron Hall of Birkenhead. According to British news report, he was the only candidate the supervisory BBC Trust approached.
Chris Patten, head of the supervisory BBC Trust which made the appointment, said Lord Hall, a former head of news at the BBC during a 28-year career before he joined the opera 11 years ago, was “the right person to lead the BBC out of its current crisis.” The BBC said his principal task was to restore faith and confidence in the integrity of Britain’s public broadcaster, a sprawling bureaucracy financed by a compulsory license fee levied on most television-set owners.
His experience in journalism would be “invaluable as the BBC looks to rebuild its reputation,” Lord Patten said. According to British news report, Lord Hall was the only candidate the BBC Trust approached about the job. Chris Patten, head of the BBC Trust, said, Lord Hall was “the right person to lead the BBC out of its current crisis.”
The appointment won enthusiastic approval from a wide spectrum of politicians, media commentators and current and former BBC staff members. Many noted that Lord Hall had a record of innovation that included overseeing the launch of the BBC Web site, the broadcaster’s 24-hour news channel, and Radio 5 Live, a widely popular, news-and-sport  radio channel. Lord Hall said the BBC “is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is.”
They pointed, too, to his record for turning around the fortunes of another prized British institution, the Royal Opera House, where he assumed control at a time of artistic and financial disarray and succeeded in stabilizing — as well as popularizing — what has long been seen as one of the world’s top opera houses. “And of course it matters not just to people in this country — but to tens of millions around the world, too,” he continued. “It’s been a difficult few weeks — but together we’ll get through it. I’m committed to ensuring our news services are the best in the world.”
Steve Hewlett, a former editor of “Panorama,” one of the BBC’s leading investigative programs, said Lord Hall had a reputation among BBC program-makers as “straightforward, honest, a man with no side to him” and “no pushover” in handling contentious issues.Steve Hewlett, a former editor of “Panorama,” one of the BBC’s leading investigative programs, said Lord Hall had a reputation among BBC program-makers as “straightforward, honest, a man with no side to him” and “no pushover” in handling contentious issues.
“I think he brings to the BBC what is desperately needed, weight,” he said.“I think he brings to the BBC what is desperately needed, weight,” he said.
Ben Bradshaw, a former culture minister who was previously a BBC reporter, described Lord Hall as “a very good, calm operator,” “a good motivator” and decisive in stressful situations. “He’s a very safe pair of hands, and very decent, fair-minded individual,” Mr. Bradshaw said.Ben Bradshaw, a former culture minister who was previously a BBC reporter, described Lord Hall as “a very good, calm operator,” “a good motivator” and decisive in stressful situations. “He’s a very safe pair of hands, and very decent, fair-minded individual,” Mr. Bradshaw said.
Lord Hall’s predecessor, Mr. Entwistle, resigned on Nov. 10 after disclosures that a flagship BBC current affairs program, “Newsnight,” had wrongly implicated a former Conservative politician in accusations of sexual abuse at a children’s home in North Wales in the 1970s and 1980s. Mr. Hall had sought to become director general in the late 1990s, when Greg Dyke won the contest for the job. Mr. Dyke quit in 2004 a scandal related to reporting of the Iraq war.
The error compounded earlier disclosures that the same program had canceled an investigation a year ago into accusations of sexual abuse of minors by the television host Jimmy Savile at a time when other departments at the corporation were planning Christmas tributes to Mr. Savile, who died in October 2011 at age 84. Mr. Entwistle resigned on Nov. 10, after less than two months in the office, over disclosures that a flagship BBC current affairs program, “Newsnight,” had wrongly implicated a former Conservative politician in accusations of sexual abuse at a children’s home in North Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr. Entwistle had been in office at the BBC for less than two months when he quit. He took over from Mark Thompson who became president and chief executive of The New York Times Company on Nov. 12. The error compounded earlier disclosures that the same program had canceled an investigation a year ago into accusations of sexual abuse of minors by the television host Jimmy Savile at a time when other departments at the corporation were planning Christmas tributes to Mr. Savile, who died in October 2011 at age 84. A year later, a rival channel, ITV, broadcast details of the accusations against Mr. Savile that has shaken the upper ranks of the BBC. He is now suspected of abusing hundreds of young people over decades on the BBC premises and elsewhere.
In a statement to the BBC staff, Lord Patten said: “The past eight weeks have been very traumatic for the BBC.” Mr. Entwistle’s predecessor was Mark Thompson, who became president and chief executive of The New York Times Company on Nov. 12.
He added: “The key challenge will be re-establishing our reputation with the public.” The scandals at “Newsnight” pushed the BBC to begin a series of internal inquiries about its culture and practices in the decades of suspected abuse by Mr. Savile and into its specific reasons for canceling the investigation into Mr. Savile.
The scandals at “Newsnight” pushed the BBC to begin a series of internal inquiries about its culture and practices in the decades of suspected abuse by Mr. Savile and into its specific reasons for canceling the investigation into Mr. Savile last year. In a statement to the BBC staff, Mr. Patten said: “While there are still very serious questions to be answered by the ongoing inquiries, it is in the interests of license fee-payers that the BBC now starts to refocus on its main purpose — making great programs that audiences love and trust.”
Lord Patten said: “While there are still very serious questions to be answered by the ongoing inquiries, it is in the interests of license fee-payers that the BBC now starts to refocus on its main purpose — making great programs that audiences love and trust.” “In doing this, it will need to take a long, hard look at the way it operates and put in place the changes required to ensure it lives up to the standards that the public expects.”
“In doing this, it will need to take a long, hard look at the way it operates and put in place the changes required to ensure it lives up to the standards that the public expects,” Lord Patten said. The upper ranks of the organization have been in turmoil since a rival channel, ITV, broadcast details of the accusations against Mr. Savile in October. He is suspected of abusing hundreds of young people over decades on the BBC premises and elsewhere. After the “Newsnight” program erroneously implicated the former treasurer of the Conservative Party, Lord McAlpine, the BBC reached an out-of-court settlement with him worth around $295,000. In a separate suit against the ITV channel, which was also accused of libeling Lord McAlpine, the broadcaster agreed on Thursday to pay a settlement of around $200,000 and his legal costs.
After Mr. Entwistle quit, the BBC appointed Tim Davie, 45, its head of radio operations, as acting director general. One element of Mr. Entwistle’s departure has continued to rankle. After he stepped down, the BBC Trust authorized a settlement payment equivalent to one year’s salary of around $750,000 — the same that will be paid to Lord Hall. The BBC justified the payment, double its contractual obligation, by saying that Mr. Entwistle would continue to assist in the various inquiries into the scandals, and that had he been dismissed, he would have been entitled to a full year’s’ compensation.
At the same time, the BBC said its director of news, Helen Boaden, and her deputy, Stephen Mitchell, had “stepped aside” while the investigation into the Savile affair continued. The dispute continued to rumble on Thursday, with a BBC trustee, Anthony Fry, telling a parliamentary committee of his “substantial irritation” at the size of the settlement, which included additional payments of more than $70,000 to cover Mr. Entwistle’s private medical care premiums, his legal expenses and $16,000 to employ a public relations firm to deal with reporters who were besieging Mr. Entwistle at his London home.
Mr. Entwistle’s departure proved to be contentious when the BBC Trust authorized a settlement payment equivalent to one year’s salary of around $750,000. The BBC justified the payment — double its contractual obligation — by saying Mr. Entwistle would continue to assist in the various inquiries into the scandals. Lord Hall is expected to draw the same salary as Mr. Entwistle. Mr. Fry’s testimony appeared to infuriate Mr. Patten, who flushed with anger in a news conference at the BBC headquarters when pressed on the settlement, details of which he had overseen with BBC lawyers. He described Mr. Entwistle as “a very, very distinguished, long-serving member of the BBC” who had lost his career there over the Newsnight scandal, and said that if Mr. Entwistle had contested his departure, the overall cost of the settlement would have been much higher. “Anything else we might have done would have cost us more,” he said.
Under the British honors system, the new director general was made a life peer in 2010 and has the formal title Baron Hall of Birkenhead. He had sought to become director general in the late 1990s, when Greg Dyke won the contest for the job. Mr. Dyke quit in 2004 a scandal related to reporting of the Iraq war. .
Lord Hall headed the BBC’s news and current affairs department from 1996 to 2001. He first joined the corporation as a news trainee 39 years ago.
Lord Patten said Lord Hall was “an insider and is currently an outsider. As an ex-BBC man he understands how the corporation’s culture and behavior make it, at its best, the greatest broadcaster in the world. And from his vantage point outside the BBC, he understands the criticisms that are leveled at the corporation — both those that are justified and those that are not.”
Lord Hall said the BBC “is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is. And of course it matters not just to people in this country — but to tens of millions around the world too. It’s been a difficult few weeks — but together we’ll get through it. I’m committed to ensuring our news services are the best in the world.”
After the “Newsnight” program erroneously implicated the former treasurer of the Conservative Party, Lord McAlpine, in an abuse scandal, the BBC reached an out-of-court settlement with him worth around $295,000. In a separate suit against the ITV channel, which was also accused of libeling Lord McAlpine, the broadcaster agreed on Thursday to pay a settlement of around $200,000 and his legal costs.

John F. Burns reported from London, and Alan Cowell from Paris.

John F. Burns reported from London, and Alan Cowell from Paris.