Lloyd: stepping down after illness
David Lloyd, Channel 4’s head of news, current affairs and business since 199o, is stepping down from the position after a prolonged illness.
Lloyd, dubbed “the founder of Channel 4 journalism”, joined the channel in 1986 as senior commissioning editor, news and current affairs. He will remain at the broadcaster in the new role of adviser on public policy programming – with emphasis on the channel’s journalism and factual programming – when he is well enough to return.
He will report directly to the Channel 4 chief executive Mark Thompson.
Lloyd, who was given a special RTS Judges’ Award this year, is the longestserving commissioning editor at Channel 4, having been at the helm of Channel 4 News, and conceived the flagship documentary strand Dispatches.
Channel 4’s outgoing director of television, Tim Gardam, said: “David is one of the great figures of news and current affairs who has led and influenced a generation.
“He is the founder of Channel 4 journalism and has been sorely missed over the past year. His creative and intellectual judgement is second to none.” A Channel 4 spokeswoman said Lloyd was “making a slow but positive recovery”.
Meanwhile, Dorothy Byrne, acting head of news and current affairs since May 2002, has been appointed as head of news and current affairs, after what she called a terribly difficult year for Channel 4’s news and current affairs team.
“We have missed working with David,” she said. Byrne added that she wanted to retain the “intelligence, integrity and distinctiveness” of Lloyd’s work, while stamping her own mark on the output.
Byrne joined Channel 4 in January 1998 as commissioning editor, news, current affairs and business. She worked for six years on World In Action and in 1993 became deputy editor and then editor of the Carlton documentary strand Big Story.
By Wale Azeez
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