Elisabeth Murdoch to deliver the 2012 Mactaggart lecture.
31st Jan 2012
It was confirmed today that Elisabeth Murdoch will be giving this year’s MacTaggart Lecture at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.
Now in its 37th year, for the first time the Festival will take place from Thursday to Saturday, with dates confirmed as 23rd to 25th August 2012 with the MacTaggart still on the opening night of the festival as is tradition.
The prestigious MacTaggart Lecture always attracts major names from both UK and international broadcasting, and is known for producing controversial and agenda-setting speeches. Past MacTaggart speakers include Eric Schmidt, Mark Thompson, James Murdoch, Dennis Potter, Michael Grade, Verity Lambert, Ted Turner, Greg Dyke, David Liddiment, Peter Fincham, Charles Allen, Jeremy Paxman, John Mortimer and Rupert Murdoch.
Liz comments: “To be invited to deliver the MacTaggart lecture is a great honour and one I am delighted to accept. At such an incredibly exciting time for our ever changing industry it is a privilege to be entrusted with its most prestigious platform to address some of the countless challenges, extraordinary opportunities and profound questions that we collectively face. I am very much looking forward to it.”
Advisory Chair of the Festival, Kenton Allen, comments: “Elisabeth is one of the foremost creative leaders in our business and promises a fascinating insight into how she has built an incredibly successful global production business and what the future holds for content creators. She is also the first woman to give the MacTaggart in 16 years and the third Murdoch to speak. Both these facts, will I’m sure, give us a highly memorable launch pad for the 2012 festival.”
Executive Chair of the Festival, Elaine Bedell, comments: “I’m very pleased in my second year as Executive Chair to be able to announce the first female MacTaggart lecturer for 16 years – and for it to be Elisabeth Murdoch, who is indisputably a major figure and a leading creative leader in the television community. Liz has been both a broadcaster and a producer, has a major footprint in the States and across Europe, as well as the UK, and is uniquely placed to offer a broad, insightful, and thoroughly well-connected appraisal of the many changes facing the media industry.”
