Lighting expected at Blighty's Five

Flextech topper considered for chief exec

By DEBRA JOHNSON

LONDON -- Blighty broadcaster Five is expected to announce Jane Lighting, head of Telewest programming arm Flextech, as its new chief executive in the next few days.

Dawn Airey, who left the web to run satcaster Sky Networks, is understood to have recommended Lighting as her replacement.

Didier Bellens, chief of RTL Group, the majority shareholder in Five, has been searching for a successor for the last four months and is expected to offer her the post later this week.

Lighting sold her program distribution shingle Minotaur Intl. to Flextech for £11 million ($18 million) in 1999 and became Adam Singer's protιgι until he stepped down as chairman and chief exec of Telewest late last year.

Although Lighting has no previous terrestrial broadcast experience, she oversees five wholly owned channels including Bravo and Living, as well as Flextech's 10-channel BBC joint venture, UKTV, led by U.K. Gold and U.K. History.

She was also involved in the launch of Flextech's latest channel, FTN, a mix of the company's four satellite-only channels, which is only available on digital terrestrial platform Freeview.

Lighting, who has reputation for being a persuasive businesswoman, has spent much of her time over the last year in tough negotiations with Telewest shareholders as the company sought to restructure its $8 billion debt.

Her savvy negotiation skills should come in handy at Five, whose other minority shareholder, United Business Media, has been reluctant to boost program budgets in the past.