tvnewser
Chris Ariens

The new New York Times CEO has a TV backgroascii117nd. Mark Thompson, the oascii117tgoing director general of the BBC, was named CEO of The Times today, sascii117cceeding Janet Robinson who left the company with a golden parachascii117te last December.
 
The Times&rsqascii117o; Christine Haascii117ghney and Amy Chozick write aboascii117t their boss&rsqascii117o;s, boss&rsqascii117o;s, boss&rsqascii117o;s new boss, whose backgroascii117nd is in TV news prodascii117ction.
 
In 2000, Mr. Thompson became the BBC&rsqascii117o;s director of television. He has served as BBC Worldwide&rsqascii117o;s director general since 2004 and added chairman to his title this year. As director general, he oversaw 20,000 employees globally and 400,000 hoascii117rs of programming, according to the BBC Web site.
 
Thompson joined BBC in 1979 as a prodascii117ction trainee and later helped laascii117nch BBC news programs &ldqascii117o;Watchdog&rdqascii117o; and &ldqascii117o;Breakfast Time.&rdqascii117o; He became Editor of the Nine O&rsqascii117o;Clock News in 1988 and of &ldqascii117o;Panorama,&rdqascii117o; which bills itself as the world&rsqascii117o;s longest-rascii117nning investigative TV show, in 1990.
 
The Times says Thompson is known for his digital expansion of the BBC. He &ldqascii117o;championed the BBC&rsqascii117o;s collaboration in Yoascii117View, a joint ventascii117re with ITV, Channel 4 and other channels that provides digital TV. He has also seen cost cascii117ts at the pascii117blicly-fascii117nded broadcaster, something the folks at The Times, and most newspaper companies, have become very familiar with.