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UK government vetoes the re-appointment of two other Channel 4 directors

The UK government has blocked two other Channel 4 directors from rejoining the broadcaster’s board in the latest sign of its willingness to interfere in media appointments.

People with knowledge of the process say culture secretary Nadine Dorries has refused to re-appoint Oscar-winning Tom Hooper. The King’s Speech, and Althea Efunshile, who spent 30 years in local and central government and was the last non-white person left on the board.

Critics said they see the decision as part of a broader government effort to influence decision-making at leading cultural and media organisations, particularly through its approach. assertive approach to director positions.

It would leave the publicly owned but ad-funded broadcaster, required by law to represent diverse communities, with an all-white board, at least temporarily.

Ofcom, the media regulator, said it would begin the process of finding replacements for Hooper and Efunshile in the new year. Both three-year terms expire at the end of the month.

Charles Gurassa, president of Channel 4, has offered to both serve another term and Ofcom has approved the reappointments, the people said.

Such recommendations have traditionally been stamped by ministers, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has changed its approach and reappointments to the boards of media and culture organisations. should be less common, people said.

Earlier this year, the government blocked re-appointment to Channel 4’s board of two women, including another person of color, Uzma Hasan.

Steven Barnett, professor of communications at the University of Westminster, said the ministers’ intervention was “really quite shocking”. He called on ministers to explain the reasons for the latest decision.

“This is a regulated channel that has to do with diversity and has a very proud track record in doing so,” he said. “For Channel 4 of all organizations ending up with an all-white board is, to put it mildly, very unfortunate.”

The changes to its board of directors, responsible for ensuring that Channel 4 fulfills its legal requirements as well as its financial responsibilities, come at a delicate time for the broadcaster.

Minister is considering privatization of the station, although the plans were shelved as officials reviewed about 60,000 public consultation submissions held about the change of ownership.

It also goes against the sometimes icy landscape between governments and broadcasters, especially regarding their news programming. Two years ago, relations hit a low when the channel replaced Johnson with an ice sculpture after the prime minister refused to take part in a debate on climate change.

Ofcom last week announced four additions to the Board of Directors of Channel 4. The new directors are former BBC Today Evening Standard program and editor Sarah Sands, former Reuters executive David Kogan, Tess Alps advertising and marketing specialist and former Channel 5 executive Dawn Airey.

Other high-profile cultural and media appointments have also been in the spotlight in recent months. These include Ofcom’s next seat, a post that Johnson prioritized for the former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre. Dacre withdrew from the race.

Richard Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs partner, prime minister Rishi Sunak adviser and Conservative party donor, has been named BBC president this year.

And in May, Sir Charles Dunstone, founder of Carphone Warehouse, resigned as chairman of the Royal Greenwich Museum in protest after Oliver Dowden, Dorries’ predecessor, refused to re-appoint a trustee.

Channel 4 confirmed that Gurassa supported the re-appointments of Hooper and Efunshile but declined to elaborate. Ofcom declined to comment further. The Bureau of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment.

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