James Boyle (broadcasting)

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James Boyle is one of the leading public figures in the British arts world, with a long track record in broadcasting in particular. His take-no-prisoners style has earned him numerous plaudits, but also resulted in controversy, most famously at BBC Radio 4.

Contents

[edit] At the BBC

Boyle spent more than 25 years at the BBC. A series of high-profile posts culminated in four years as head of BBC Radio Scotland and four years as controller of Radio 4. At Radio Scotland he oversaw sweeping changes which – while generating a mixed mailbag from listeners whose favorite presenter had been axed – led to the station's being named UK Radio Station of the Year at the broadcasting industry’s Sony Awards.

In 1996 Boyle was appointed to head Radio Four, the UK's premier radio station. Boyle overhauled almost the entire schedule. [1] Critics outside and inside the BBC questioned the number of changes, and their timing, and he was nicknamed "MacBirt", in reference to his being a Scottish version of BBC Director-General Lord Birt [2]. However, after the changes bedded in, they were shown to have been successful, with many of the new shows receiving acclaim, including John Peel’s quirky Home Truths, arts program Front Row, and lighthearted current affairs show Broadcasting House. [3] Boyle announced his departure in 2000, leading The Observer newspaper to run the headline: “He Came, He Conquered, He Quit.” [1] Just after Boyle left, Radio Four, like Radio Scotland before it, was Radio Station of the Year at the Sony Awards. [2]

[edit] The Scottish Arts Council

After leaving the BBC, Boyle served as Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), the agency that has control over the Scottish government’s arts budget. Arts Council Chief Executive Tessa Jackson left shortly afterwards [4]. He was then appointed Chair of the Cultural Commission, a body set up to review Scottish arts and cultural funding and provide recommendations for the next quarter century. [5] [6] The centerpiece of the Cultural Commission’s report – issued after a year of investigation and deliberations – was a recommendation that the government increase arts spending by £100 million (approximately $190 million), enshrine “cultural rights,” and overhaul and simplify the arts bureaucracy (including, ironically, by getting rid of the SAC, which Boyle had just left). [7] [8]

Boyle had a public run-in with Scottish Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson when she announced her support for an Academy of Scotland just before the commission was set to unveil a similar policy. [9] Boyle denounced Ferguson’s “lack of integrity.” Id. After the Cultural Commission report was published, Ferguson was publicly accused of trying to bury it. [10] Eventually, the Scottish government adopted a version of the report’s main proposals, increasing arts spending by £20 million, restructuring the public arts agencies, and agreeing to implement cultural rights. [11]

[edit] Public Service

Boyle’s career in public service includes many appointments. Until 2005, he served as a Civil Service Commissioner. Boyle’s most recent role was as Chairman of the City of Literature Initiative. Boyle spearheaded the effort that led to Edinburgh being selected by UNESCO as the inaugural City of Literature. [12]

Currently Boyle is a director of the London public relations company Franklin Rae [13] and a member of the board of governors (known as the Court) of Edinburgh’s Napier University. In 2005, the University of Edinburgh honored Boyle with the degree of Doctor honoris causa. Boyle previously received honorary doctorates from Napier University and the University of Aberdeen. He is also an honorary professor at the University of Stirling.

When at the BBC, Boyle wrote many scripts for radio and a number of TV plays for educational television. He collects first editions of twentieth century literature. Boyle and his wife Marie live in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has three sons and three grandsons.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ BBC News | ENTERTAINMENT | Boyle steps down at Radio 4
  2. ^ no way to make waves | Sunday Herald, The | Find Articles at BNET.com