A new hand will be at the tiller of Scottish broadcaster STV this autumn.
The Glasgow-based company announced to the stock market this morning that ITV veteran Rufus Radcliffe will take over as chief executive on November 1.
It is not the first time STV has found a new boss in the corridors of its London-headquartered counterpart, having previously recruited Simon Pitts, its outgoing chief executive, as successor to Rob Woodward in 2018. And it is fair to say STV will be hoping the new man will have the same kind of impact at Pacific Quay that Mr Pitts has had over the past six years.
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Mr Pitts, who will take over as chief executive of media giant Global early next year, has put STV firmly back on the map as a producer of drama and factual programmes over the course of his tenure, in addition to producing strong audience numbers for its flagship news channel and driving take-up of its digital streaming service, STV Player.
It has not all been smooth. He oversaw 59 redundancies early in his incumbency when he shut down the loss-making STV digital channel and restructured the broadcaster’s news operation, while advertising has been buffeted by frequent economic headwinds. But overall, he certainly seems to be leaving STV in good shape, with the outlook for the advertising market a good deal more positive.
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The new boss comes with a strong pedigree and appears well-placed to build on the progress made by Mr Pitts. He will take the helm on November 1 following a 13-year stint at ITV, where until April 2024 he was a member of the executive committee and was latterly managing director of streaming, interactive and data.
Mr Radcliffe is credited with playing a key role in the acceleration of ITV’s digital transformation and was responsible for the strategic development and launch of ITVX in December 2022.
“STV is a great brand with an enviable track record of making high quality, must-watch content and has a strong relationship with viewers and advertisers," he said.
"I’m thrilled to be joining and cannot wait to work with everyone at STV to build on the tremendous success and growth of the past few years.”
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