BBC Worldwide appoints new director
Jul 26
BBC Worldwide Australia has announced the appointment of Deirdre Brennan to the director role of television for its channels business.
Brennan will be responsible for decisions impacting acquisitions, on-air promotions, presentation, production and programming for the commercial subsidiary. The position will include the portfolio of channels within Australasia, including subscriptions channels UKTV, UKTV NZ, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies.
Deirdre, who joins the company on Wednesday August 25, has had numerous experiences in the Australian television industry. She joins BBC Worldwide from Nickelodeon Australia, where she has been director of programming since 2007. As a result, the children’s based network has twice won the ASTRA Channel of the Year Award in 2007 and 2009.
Prior to this, she was also director of children’s programming at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Additionally, Deirdre has worked in multi-grenre acquisitions at the ABC, more specifically as a programming executive and in senior marketing, production and event management roles.
Deirdre started her career as a presenter on community radio and after this held a number of on-air roles in radio and television. She is also a member of the International Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences.
BBC Worldwide Australia’s general manager, Tony Iffland, said Brennan brought vast experience to the company during growing media trajectory.
“Deirdre brings a wealth of knowledge, vision and skill to this role. She has made a dynamic contribution to Australia’s subscription television industry.
“BBC Worldwide Channels is set for an exciting period of growth, and Deirdre is ideally suited to strengthen its position in the Australasian television landscape.”
“It is a great privilege to join Tony Iffland and the BBC Worldwide Channels team. The opportunity to be involved with their unique content and brands is incredibly exciting,” Brennan added.
Deirdre will replace Brendan Dahill, who previously held the role and leaves on Thursday August 5. Dahill will be joining Australia’s ABC as the channel controller for the main ABC1 channel.
Media Spy discussion: BBC Worldwide
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tjkirk July 26th 2010