Mark Thompson (television executive)

Mark Thompson ( born July 31, 1957 in London ) is a British media manager. He has held from 2004 to 2012 the post of Director General at the BBC. In November 2012, he took over the position as CEO of the New York Times Company, which publishes the leading U.S. daily New York Times.

Life

Thompson spent his childhood in Hertfordshire. After he had first attended the Stonyhurst College, a Jesuit -led university in Lancashire, he moved to the Merton College, University of Oxford, where he made his degree in English Literature.

In 1979, he came as an intern in the production area to the BBC. There he was a permanent employee and was involved among other things, the consumer magazine " watchdog " (from 1981) and the breakfast television show " Breakfast Time " (from 1983) to launch. Other stations broadcasting company followed before he became editor in chief in 1988, the main news program " BBC Nine O'Clock News". At age 30, he was the youngest holder of this post in the BBC's history. In 1990 he moved in the same capacity for investigative news program " Panorama".

As of 1996, Thompson served as controller for the financial management of BBC Two. He later became Director of National and Regional Broadcasting the BBC (1999-2000) and, finally, program director (from 2000). Between 2002 and 2004, he was then serving as Chief Executive for the private broadcaster Channel 4, before he returned to the BBC.