BBC appoints opera chief as new director-general
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London - Tony Hall, the current head of London's Royal Opera House, has been chosen to be the next director-general of the BBC, the broadcaster announced Thursday.
Chris Patten, the chairman of the BBC trust, said that Hall would "prove invaluable as the BBC looks to rebuild both its reputation in this area and the trust of audiences." It is hoped that Hall, a former BBC news chief, will be able to lead the public broadcaster out of its deep crisis following a child abuse scandal involving one of its vereran presenters, and a subsequent public apology over false allegations made against a senior politician made in a flagship TV programme.
George Entwistle, the previous director-general, resigned over the turmoil on November 10. His golden handshake of 450,000 pounds(718,000 dollars), has since been severely criticised.
Hall, 61, left the BBC 11 years ago to become chief executive of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. His tenure at the leading operahouse has been hailed as a success. Hall was also a chief organiser of the Cultural Olympiad that accompanied the Olympic Games in London this summer.//DPA
