MUMBAI: BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman is leaving the corporation after 31 years to become chief executive of children’s charity Plan International.
Chapman has been director of the World Service since 2004 and has previously been director of BBC Online and controller of English Regions. Chapman has also worked as a producer and editor on a number of news and current affairs programmes, says a report in the Guardian.
Chapman, say colleagues, has overseen the biggest restructuring of the service since it was launched and the move into language television and the strengthening of the service’s internet presence.
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The BBC is yet to announce Chapman’s successor. Chapman joined the BBC as a trainee in 1977, going on to produce and edit current affairs shows such as Nationwide, Newsnight and Breakfast News.
In 1994, he was appointed head of broadcasting, Midlands and east, and in 1996 become controller of English regions In 1999, he became the first director of BBC Online, with responsibility for the development of the corporation’s content website and a year later moved to the World Service as deputy director.
In a separate note to staff, Chapman said: There is never a perfect time to leave something as fascinating and all-consuming as the World Service. There is always more to do: new audience demands to meet, new services to launch and existing ones to improve.
“We will soon launch our Persian Television service and extend our Arabic TV to a full 24/7 schedule. There is, I know, a huge amount of work going on to modernise the look and feel of our websites, and keep our outstanding radio programmes fresh and attractive to our record-breaking audiences.”
Explaining his decision to leave, he said: “Our programmes about the developing world in particular have kindled a growing personal interest in international development issues. Visits to Africa and South Asia have brought these issues to life.
“The work of the World Service Trust has also been very instrumental in fuelling these interests. I have seen first hand the wonderful impact of its work as well as the enormous influence the World Service as a whole has in the world’s poorest countries.
“Hence my decision to leave the BBC after more than thirty years and move full time into the charity sector as the CEO of Plan International, one of the world’s biggest and oldest charities working directly with children and their families to combat poverty in almost 50 countries.”
The World Service currently claims to have 182m listeners a week, compared to 146m in 2004.
