Discovery plants Root
BBC2 controller eyes move to U.S.
Jane Root, controller of BBC2 for the past five years, has made no secret of her desire to work in the U.S.
A Discovery spokesman declined to comment. But there are general-manager slots available on Animal Planet and Discovery Health, two high-visibility cable networks.
BBC2, the second of the pubcaster's non-digital webs, continues to score, particularly with edgy comedies and the drama-doc "Dunkirk."
But with the BBC in a state of flux following the ousting of director-general Greg Dyke, Root has intensified her job search.
Despite a shaky start, Root is widely acknowledged to have succeeded at BBC2, which has been voted channel of the year twice in recent months.
In a tough market, ratings have remained strong, and the web continues to innovate across most genres, arguably doing better than Channel 4, BBC2's biggest rival for talent and ideas, at offering cutting-edge fare.
Under Root, BBC2 has commissioned more mainstream programming than previous controllers and cut back a bit on the arts and drama.
She began her career as an independent producer working for Michael Jackson, who left Blighty 2½ years ago and now is chairman of Universal Television.
Before joining the pubcaster in 1997 as head of the BBC's independent commissioning department, Root co-founded U.K. indie Wall to Wall, where she made docu "Baby It's You" for Discovery sister web TLC.
As controller of BBC2, Root has been a regular at the L.A. Screenings. It was under her watch that the channel was outbid by C4 for U.K. terrestrial rights to "The Simpsons."
