BMI founder Bishop mulls top role at ITV

Published on Saturday 10 October 2009 15:07

BMI founder Sir Michael Bishop could announce as early as tomorrow whether he will take the chairmanship of ITV, widely considered one of the toughest in the media industry.

It is understood that ITV board member Sir James Crosby, who is leading the hunt for a replacement, has offered the job to Bishop.

The board of ITV was thrown into fresh disarray last week after the embattled broadcaster was sensationally snubbed by its preferred candidate for the chairman's job. In a major setback, Sir Crispin Davis told the board that he no longer wants to be considered for the top slot.

Davis, a former chief executive of publishing giant Reed Elsevier, is understood to have been turned off by the public scrutiny surrounding crisis-prone ITV, and sources close to the situation say that the high-profile nature of the role could also put off Bishop.

Davis's rejection came just over a week after the breakdown of talks with former BSkyB boss Tony Ball, who had been lined up as chief executive.

A source close to Bishop was reported to have said: "He's been offered the job and is mulling it over. But he needs to make sure that the job description is what he wants. He's a cautious guy."

Bishop pocketed 223 million after selling his stake in BMI to Germany's Lufthansa.