Interview: Helen Boaden, Director of BBC RADIO
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INTERVIEW: HELEN BOADEN, DIRECTOR OF BBC RADIO Jenni Murray, of Radio 4's Woman's Hour (left); Helen was a regular presenter MAY/JUNE INTERVIEW Helen Boaden BBC.indd 1 17/04/2014 15:05 WI Life May & June 2014 19 You can’t sack the audience, but they can sack you She made it through the glass ceiling, but few others have followed. Can the Director of BBC Radio get more women on air and in charge? Interview by KAYE MCINTOSH Photography PETER SCHIAZZA ou have to run to keep up with people who sent me notes, or I’d come up and Helen Boaden. The Director there’d be a bunch of flowers on my desk or a of Radio strides through box of chocolates.’ Broadcasting House, from her Helen has clearly built up a great deal of wood-panelled Arts & Crafts goodwill during decades at the BBC. Starting Yoffice (next door to founding Director as a reporter on Radio 4, she worked her way General Lord Reith’s) through the Woman’s up to Controller of the channel, launched the Hour studios, where Jenni Murray is digital station that is now called 4 Extra and recording an interview, and Radio 1Xtra. became the first female Director of News. DJ Trevor Nelson is live on air but breaks off So how did she burst through the glass to give her a hug while a track is playing. ceiling? Helen credits former Director- We stop to admire the striking glass General John Birt with ‘looking out for atrium in the centre of the building, familiar bright women to be promoted… because as the backdrop to TV news. But there’s he’d come into an organisation that was barely a pause for breath before Helen’s overwhelmingly male and he knew that hurtling off down another staircase. This is couldn’t be right for the audience’. not a woman prepared to waste time. Today, however, she’s one of only two She clearly loves her job – she radiates women directors out of seven operational enthusiasm. But in 2013 her whole future posts on the BBC’s Executive Board. And at the BBC was in doubt when she was at there aren’t many climbing the ladder behind the centre of the storm over Newsnight her. ‘If you don’t have a cadre of women dropping the investigation that would have coming through to executive editor roles, exposed Jimmy Savile as a sex abuser (an it’s very hard for them to become senior,’ she ITV documentary finally broke the story). says. ‘There are more women in the lower or The affair cost Director-General George middle ranks of radio who will come up, but Entwistle his job, after a disastrous the board is overwhelmingly male.’ interview with the Today programme’s The problem stems from the ‘very difficult feared inquisitor John Humphrys. Helen trade-offs’ people make when they have survived. The Pollard Inquiry cleared her of families, she argues. ‘Sadly we couldn’t have putting any pressure on the programmes’s children so I say this as an observer… but then editor, Peter Rippon, to drop the story usually one person remains the prime carer.’ – although she was criticised for the ‘casual’ She cites women who have repeatedly turned way she told Mr Entwistle about it, in a side down opportunities for promotion because conversation at an awards ceremony. it’s never the right time for their kids. Does she have any regrets about her role It’s not just behind the scenes though; in the affair? ‘Of course I do. But hindsight there aren’t enough of us on screen either. is a wonderful thing. As far as I was Research by City University found only 20% concerned it was a story that the editor had of experts interviewed for broadcast news reassured me had no legs, so why would were women. you make a strong case for something that TV is only reflecting society, Helen argues, had no veracity?’ pointing out the FTSE 100 index of leading It was the support of colleagues that got companies is dominated by male chief her through. ‘It was amazing the number of executives. ‘The world is run by men, let’s be MAY/JUNE INTERVIEW Helen Boaden BBC.indd 2 16/04/2014 15:09 WI Life May & June 2014 20 As far as I was concerned it was a story that the editor had reassured me had no legs under no illusion. If you want the Prime Minister, he happens to be a man.’ But the BBC is taking action, she promises, running a programme called ‘expert women’, which shows professionals in areas such as economics, the law and science ‘what they need to do to punch through on air’. So far 72 women have made 272 media appearances since taking part in training days. Most of us encounter the BBC as listeners and viewers and that experience is changing fast, as the move to digital meets major cost- cutting. In February, Director-General Tony Hall announced a further £100m savings had to be found, on top of an existing target of £700m by 2017. That’s to cover the extra responsibilities – including funding the World Service and part- funding Welsh language channel S4C – that the government imposed without increasing the licence fee. Rumours about the next round of negotations include the idea that the Beeb might have to share the fee with other broadcasters. What will the cuts mean on air? Helen insists the focus is behind the scenes. Middle management jobs will go but the BBC will try to avoid ‘the kind of cuts that make someone listening to Radio 4 think, “Hmm, this is getting a bit thin”, or to Radio 2, “I really miss that”’. The cuts are ‘challenging’ but the BBC is not alone. ‘Across the public sector these are the choices that are being made. Do you do Meals on Wheels or do you do libraries? You could argue that some of these choices are far more acute.’ Instead, she wants to focus on the future. ‘I used to say to my staff when I ran Radio 4, “You can’t sack the audience, but they can sack you” – they can go somewhere else, and they have never had more choice.’ So what will the BBC do to keep them? Increasing ‘personalisation’ (recommendations for programmes based on your past choices when you use iPlayer) and more big event broadcasting, such as Radio 3’s Ravel Day, the 6 Music festival, or artist Grayson Perry’s Reith Lectures. Ironically 6 Music was nearly killed off in an attempt to save money, and rescued only after a public outcry – ‘a rather brilliant campaign’, Helen says. At the end of the interview, after talking about her proudest achievement (a documentary on AIDS in Africa at the start of her career), her view of the WI (‘a thoughtful, challenging organisation that I probably will end up joining’) and what she’s learned from her career (‘you need acres of inner resilience’), she returns to Savile. She’s keen to stress that the Newsnight investigation ‘was closed down by its own editor’ but adds that she often thinks of the women involved. ‘I am sorry that we didn’t give them a voice as soon as In the studio with Radio we could have done.’ 1Xtra DJ Trevor Nelson MAY/JUNE INTERVIEW Helen Boaden BBC.indd 3 16/04/2014 15:09.