The Stage

Douglas appointed BBC controller of pop music

Published Tuesday 8 May 2007 at 16:45 by Matthew Hemley

BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music chief Lesley Douglas has been appointed as the Corporation’s first controller of popular music.

In her new role, she will have responsibility for co-ordinating the output of popular music across all of the BBC’s platforms. She will retain her existing posts on top of her new duties.

She said: “The BBC has an ongoing commitment to supporting a breadth of popular music programming. We need to ensure that we stay ahead of the game, capitalising on creative opportunities and working even more closely with the music community as a whole to leverage the full strength of the BBC.”

BBC director of audio and music Jenny Abramsky said Douglas will be the “central point” for external contacts, thereby simplifying communications with the Corporation.

Douglas will work alongside BBC Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt, who has responsibility for youth programming, and BBC Radio 3 controller Roger Wright, who last week was announced as the next director of the BBC Proms.