BBC HEAD OF NEWS QUITS FOR SONG

BBC Head of News and Current Affairs, Tony Hall, has announced he will be leaving the corporation to take up the position of Executive Director at the Royal Opera House in April.
Hall beat off competition from high profile figures, including John Tusa who runs the Barbican and Richard Lyttelton, President of EMI Classics, for the post vacated by Michael Kaiser in December after two years with the Royal Opera House.
Hall said: “The Royal Opera House means so much to so many people and as a lifelong devotee it means a huge amount to me. After building BBC News for a decade, the Royal Opera House will be another great challenge. My Directorship of Theatre Royal, Stratford East has introduced me to some of the complexities of running a theatre, and I look forward to immersing myself completely in this new and stimulating environment. It will be a great honour for me to support the work of artists of the calibre of Bernard Haitink, Antonio Pappano, Sir Anthony Dowell and Ross Stretton and the companies of the Royal Opera House.”
Sir Colin Southgate, Chairman of the Board of the Royal Opera House, said: “Tony Hall has a long and distinguished career at the BBC where he has successfully maintained the corporation’s reputation as the leading news and current affairs broadcaster in the world, and played an important role in the leadership and management of the Corporation. His extensive experience of managing complex budgets and working in a fast moving, creative environment make him ideally suited to this position at the Royal Opera House. We are delighted Tony is joining us and feel very lucky to have him.”
It has been reported that while Hall earned around £250,000 at the BBC his salary at the Royal Opera House will be around £150,000. (CMcL)