TV exec Samir Shah to be appointed chair of UK's BBC - FT

British television executive Samir Shah will be chosen by the government to chair the BBC, the Financial Times said on Wednesday. BBC board member Elan Closs Stephens became the acting chair of the broadcaster following Sharp's resignation. The government declined to comment.

British television executive Samir Shah will be chosen by the government to chair the BBC, the Financial Times said on Wednesday. Shah, aged 71, is the chief executive of production company Juniper TV and he has previously worked at the BBC and London Weekend Television, a franchise in the ITV commercial network.

The BBC is funded by a licence fee paid by TV-watching households and is politically independent but its chair is appointed by the government. It previous chair, Richard Sharp, resigned in April after he failed to disclose he had played a role in securing a $1 million loan for the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson. BBC board member Elan Closs Stephens became the acting chair of the broadcaster following Sharp's resignation.

The government declined to comment.

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