Grade addressed staff by email shortly after arriving at the BBC's television centre headquarters for his first day on the job. He told them that he looked forward to leading the defence of the licence fee and the debate about the BBC's future.
Grade has taken up the chairman's job ahead of the BBC producing its charter review documents, which go to the government at the end of June.
"Once we launch our Charter documents at the end of June, I and others will be out on the road a lot, talking to various partners - existing and potential, members of the public and local politicians - so I will make sure I combine those trips with visits to regional BBC locations and talk to more of you face-to-face about this and anything else you want to raise," he said.
He said that his first priority, and that of the board of governors, will be to recruit a director-general. Grade, who has taken the £81,320 post for the next four years, said he is determined to announce a replacement for ousted director general Greg Dyke.
"I do not underestimate the effect of the recent difficulties on staff and I would like to thank Caroline Thomson and Stephen Dando for carrying out a sensitive task with integrity. Those difficulties are now behind us. But it is worth emphasising that some good came out of the storm, namely that the independence of the BBC, when tested, enjoys widespread and vocal public support. That is most heartening," Grade said.
However, Grade has pledged that whoever succeeds Dyke is likely to have a far less rocky relationship with Governors. In a statement on his appointment last month Grade indicated he wanted to review their role.
"The regulatory role of the Board of Governors is in urgent need of clarification, if not repair. In practice, this means a greater separation between the executive and the Governors," he said.
Front runners for the post include Michael Jackson, chairman of Universal Television, who was tipped for a previous spell as director general before heading off to the States for an American TV role; acting director general Mark Byford; BBC director of television, Jana Bennett; managing director of Sky Networks Dawn Airey, and BBC director of radio, Jenny Abramsky.
Grade's new role marks a return to the corporation, where he has held roles as director of BBC Television and controller of BBC One. Grade, who's uncle Lew was one of the pioneers of ITV, is also a former director of programmes at London Weekend Television.
Since accepting the post Grade has resigned from the boards of Camelot, SMG and the Television Corporation, however he has retained his non-executive chairmanship of Pinewood Shepperton and Hemscott plc.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
