Bonanza for new watchdog chief

THE new chief executive of media watchdog Ofcom will become one of Britain's highest-paid civil servants, earning more than £250,000 a year.

Ofcom, which will replace existing media regulators, officially came into existence last month, but will only start to function properly when the Communications Bill becomes law next year.

Though established under the auspices of the Department of Culture Media and Sport, Ofcom is technically an independent body known as a statutory corporation.

The job of chief executive will be advertised soon. It is understood that the recruitment consultancy handling the Ofcom appointment, Spencer Stuart, will make it clear that candidates with widespread commercial experience and not just executives from radio or television-are likely to be strongly favoured. A source close to the process said: 'The salary will be at a level that will attract the very best candidates from the top echelons of business.'

Senior civil servants can expect to earn between £150,000 to £245,000.

The requirement for substantial boardroom experience may count against the favourite candidate Patricia Hodgson, chief executive of the Independent Television Commission, who spent a considerable part of her career at the BBC.

There has been strong criticism of the directors appointed so far that they do not include enough heavyweights with experience of managing substantial organisations. It has even been suggested that the salaries for non-executive directors, who will earn £30,000 for working just two days a week, are not high enough to attract top quality candidates.

The appointment is key to the future of the media industry. Ofcom will combine five existing regulators: the ITC, the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Office of Telecommunications, the Radio Authority and the Radiocommunications Agency.

A number of senior executives have already been appointed to Ofcom, including the chairman Lord Currie and his deputy Richard Hooper, the present head of the Radio Authority.