This is taken from The Guardian:

Hunt for BBC chairman begins
Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Friday January 5, 2007

Government officials will this weekend launch their hunt for a new BBC chairman, after privately admitting to being left in the lurch by the shock departure of Michael Grade for ITV.

Advertisements will appear in the Sunday Times and in Monday's MediaGuardian section and will stress the need for the new chairman to grapple with the opportunities and threats for the BBC in the digital age.

Mr Grade decided to quit the BBC to return to struggling commercial rival ITV as executive chairman on the eve of the launch of the new BBC Trust, which came into existence on January 1 this year.

Insiders at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport admitted the departure of Mr Grade was "disappointing" but said it provided a "unique opportunity".

A string of potential candidates have distanced themselves from the job, including former culture secretary Chris Smith, former Independent Television Commission chief Dame Patricia Hodgson and former ITV chief executive Richard Eyre.

Film director Lord Puttnam, broadcasting veteran David Dimbleby and former Financial Times editor Richard Lambert are among those who remain in the running.

While ad will stress the need for "a strong understanding of broadcasting issues", the hope is for a wide range of applicants beyond the "usual suspects".

"The white paper set out the vision for the new BBC. The new Trust chair will be instrumental in delivering that vision," said one DCMS source.

"This is a tough challenge, but we are confident that we will be able to attract a strong field."

The salary for the four-day week job has almost doubled to £140,000 a year plus expenses but is still dwarfed by executive salaries elsewhere in broadcasting. Mr Grade could earn up to £8.5m over three years at ITV.

The new chairman will join the BBC at a crucial time, just months into a new charter agreement and licence fee settlement.

The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, is expected to shortly unveil a licence fee rise pegged at 3% for two years from April 2007, then 2% for the following three years and between 0% and 2% in the final year.

The increase is considerably lower than the 1.8% above inflation rise lobbied for by the BBC.

The job specification for the next BBC chairman will give particular emphasis to the need for a keen sense of "the role of a public service broadcaster in the digital age" and a clear understanding of what new digital networks and technology will mean for viewers and listeners.

The chairman will also be tasked with representing the "eyes, ears and views of the licence fee payer", with the new Trust expected to be far more publicly accountable than the old board of governors.

Interviews are expected to take place in March or April under the Nolan procedure for public appointments.