[Archive 2012-09-19] George Entwistle becomes new BBC director general

Historical archive — originally published 2012-09-19. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

George Entwistle became the new Director-General of the BBC Monday. He replaces Mark Thompson, who had held the position since 2004.

On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Thompson said Sunday the corporation was "getting very, very close to the edge" following recent sixteen per cent real-terms budget reductions. "When you look around the operation, it's very hard to see what more you can cut," he said.

Negotiations about the UK's licence fee are a prominent issue for Entwistle to deal with between 2015–2016. The licence fee in the country currently stands at £145.50 (about US$236 or €181) per house. Two years ago, Thompson froze this fee for six years, causing BBC funding to decrease by sixteen per cent in real terms.

Thompson is due in November to become the chief executive officer of The New York Times Company.

Entwistle is a former director of BBC Vision, thereby being responsible for the television output of the corporation.

The salary of Entwistle, who is scheduled to meet with programme creators and staff at the BBC this week, will reportedly be £450,000 (US$730,000 or €560,000), considerably less than that of Thompson who, in his final year, made £622,000 (US$1,009,000 or €773,000). While he was in office, Thompson's salary dropped by approximately a quarter.

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