'Crony' tipped as new media watchdog

A friend of Chancellor Gordon Brown is to be given the job as the powerful new media watchdog, it emerged today.

The appointment of New Labour peer Lord Currie of Marylebone as chairman of the new cross-media regulator Ofcom is certain to bring accusations of cronyism.

He will be making decisions crucial to the future of the BBC, whose chairman Gavyn Davies is another friend of Gordon Brown's.

BBC Governor- General Greg Dyke is a keen supporter of Tony Blair.

Lord Currie, who is Dean of City University business school, has beaten off candidates such as the Radio Authority chairman Richard Hooper and the director-general of Oftel, David Edmonds.

Ofcom will deal with matters ranging from complaints of indecent material on television to competition issues surrounding big mergers.

The appointment of Lord Currie has yet to be rubberstamped by Tony Blair but the recommendation has been sent to Downing Street.

The chief executive of the Independent Television Commission, Patricia Hodgson, is favourite to be Ofcom's chief executive.

An experienced political fixer who worked in the BBC's strategy department, Hodgson is believed to have the right media experience for the job.