Mark Thompson, chief executive of Britain's Channel 4 television, has been appointed director-general of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC announced on Friday.
"The Board of Governors has today concluded its process to select a BBC director-general by appointing Mark Thompson. The decision was unanimous," the BBC said in a statement.
Thompson replaces Greg Dyke, who quit earlier this year when the BBC was heavily criticised after a row between the broadcaster and the authorities over a report accusing the government of hyping the case for war in Iraq.
The appointment was the first by BBC Chairman Michael Grade, who only took his job on Monday, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Gavyn Davies.
Davies also quit because of the fallout from the suicide of David Kelly, a scientist at the heart of the row over the Iraqi war report.
"We were impressed by Mark Thompson's analysis of the challenges facing the BBC, and by his track record," Grade said. "We concluded that he was the right person to lead the BBC at this important period in its history".
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