Ron Neil
Encyclopedia
Ronald John Baillie Neil CBE
(born 1941 or 1942) is a former BBC
television journalist and news editor, who rose to become the BBC's overall director of news and current affairs in the late 1980s. He retired in 1998, but was recalled in 2004 to review BBC journalism and values in response to the criticisms made by the Hutton inquiry
into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly.
agenda with the inception of Reporting Scotland
the following year. One story he covered for Reporting Scotland was the loss of the Longhope
lifeboat in 1969. He has supported the lifeboats ever since, and as of 2009 is deputy chairman of the RNLI board of trustees.
He moved in 1969 to the Current Affairs Department in London to become a producer on the new series Nationwide
, on which he worked until 1976, eventually becoming its output editor. Later he was editor of Tonight
(1979) and That's Life!
(1981).
In 1980 he co-created Newsnight
working alongside George Carey from News, taking over as the programme's editor in 1981 and directing its coverage of the Falklands War
. He then became the first editor of the BBC's Breakfast Time
format, the UK's first national breakfast show when it began in 1983, which scooped the much more staid approach of its commercial rival TV-am
by adopting a carefully relaxed and much more informal style.
In 1984 he became founder editor of the BBC Six O'Clock News
, reclaiming a traditionally strong slot where the BBC had lost its way with the previous Sixty Minutes
format. The result was such a success that its style and even opening titles remained unchanged for almost ten years.
He then became overall Editor of Television News, and then Director of News and Current Affairs in 1988, and head of regional broadcasting the next year. His final job at the BBC was as the first Chief Executive of Production, after the corporation organisationally split production from broadcasting in 1996. He retired in 1998, and was awarded a CBE in the 1999 New Year's Honours list.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(born 1941 or 1942) is a former BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television journalist and news editor, who rose to become the BBC's overall director of news and current affairs in the late 1980s. He retired in 1998, but was recalled in 2004 to review BBC journalism and values in response to the criticisms made by the Hutton inquiry
Hutton Inquiry
The Hutton Inquiry was a 2003 judicial inquiry in the UK chaired by Lord Hutton, who was appointed by the Labour government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of David Kelly, a biological warfare expert and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq.On 18 July 2003, Kelly, an employee...
into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly.
Career
Originally a newspaper reporter from Glasgow, he joined BBC Scotland in 1967 as a radio reporter based in Aberdeen, just as the television service moved to a more hard newsHard News
Hard News: The Scandals at The New York Times and Their Meaning for American Media is a 2004 book by journalist Seth Mnookin about the reign of Howell Raines at The New York Times.Mr...
agenda with the inception of Reporting Scotland
Reporting Scotland
Reporting Scotland is BBC Scotland's national television news programme. The programme first aired on 1 April 1968, with three main presenters - the most famous being Mary Marquis...
the following year. One story he covered for Reporting Scotland was the loss of the Longhope
Longhope, Orkney
Longhope is a coastal settlement on the island of South Walls which is one of the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland. South Walls is linked to Hoy by causeway; Longhope is the largest settlement on the two islands....
lifeboat in 1969. He has supported the lifeboats ever since, and as of 2009 is deputy chairman of the RNLI board of trustees.
He moved in 1969 to the Current Affairs Department in London to become a producer on the new series Nationwide
Nationwide (TV series)
Nationwide was a BBC News and Current affairs television programme broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting...
, on which he worked until 1976, eventually becoming its output editor. Later he was editor of Tonight
Tonight (1957 TV series)
Tonight was a BBC television current affairs programme presented by Cliff Michelmore and broadcast in Britain live on weekday evenings from February 1957 to 1965. The producers were the future Controller of BBC1 Donald Baverstock and the future Director-General of the BBC Alasdair Milne...
(1979) and That's Life!
That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
(1981).
In 1980 he co-created Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
working alongside George Carey from News, taking over as the programme's editor in 1981 and directing its coverage of the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. He then became the first editor of the BBC's Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time was British television's first national breakfast show, beating TV-am's flagship programme Good Morning Britain to the air by two weeks.The show was revolutionary for the time...
format, the UK's first national breakfast show when it began in 1983, which scooped the much more staid approach of its commercial rival TV-am
TV-am
TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. It made history by being the first national operator of a commercial television franchise at breakfast-time , and broadcast every day of the week for most or all of the period...
by adopting a carefully relaxed and much more informal style.
In 1984 he became founder editor of the BBC Six O'Clock News
BBC Six O'Clock News
The BBC News at Six is the evening news programme broadcast each night on British television channel BBC One and the BBC News channel at 18:00. For a long period the News at Six was the most watched news programme in the UK but since 2006 it has been over taken by the BBC News at Ten...
, reclaiming a traditionally strong slot where the BBC had lost its way with the previous Sixty Minutes
Sixty Minutes (TV series)
Sixty Minutes was a news and current affairs programme which ran each day at 5:40pm between 24 October 1983 to 27 July 1984 on BBC One. It replaced the Nationwide programme, and like Nationwide, it also integrated the BBC regional news programmes into a single magazine programme.However, the BBC's...
format. The result was such a success that its style and even opening titles remained unchanged for almost ten years.
He then became overall Editor of Television News, and then Director of News and Current Affairs in 1988, and head of regional broadcasting the next year. His final job at the BBC was as the first Chief Executive of Production, after the corporation organisationally split production from broadcasting in 1996. He retired in 1998, and was awarded a CBE in the 1999 New Year's Honours list.
External links
- Profile: Ron Neil, BBC News, 23 June 2004
- Newsnight 25: Falklands War, BBC News, 21 January 2005
- Neil Report, BBC
- Tim Bailey, The Neil Report, Diffusion Online, European Broadcasting UnionEuropean Broadcasting UnionThe European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
, 2004