Former music business PR man Mike Hales has been appointed editor, BBC
Television Publicity.
The post was created just six months ago to act as a central resource
for the various divisions of BBC Television, each of which has press
officers handling day-to-day programme publicity.
Hales, who for the past five years has run his own PR consultancy - Mike
Hales Associates - will replace Austin Hunter who is returning to his
role as BBC Northern Ireland senior press officer after a six month
secondment.
As well as assisting divisional press officers on publicity for specific
programmes, the eight-strong Television Publicity unit also handles
questions on broad issues such as the BBC’s stance on taste and decency,
programming standards and viewing figures.
Describing the role, Hunter said: ‘I’m really like a news editor for TV
publicity. I tend to deal with the difficult stories of the day.’
Hales starts work next month, reporting to BBC Television controller of
publicity and PR Keith Samuel.
A former director of public relations at A&M Records, Hales left the
company in 1983 and spent several years in the fashion business working
with his wife, fashion designer Gay Ironmonger. He joined public
relations agency Sara Pearson Associates as a director in 1989, before
leaving to set up his own PR firm.
