Nathalie Schwarz
Channel 4
As Director of Radio, Nathalie is responsible for all radio and DAB multi-media at Channel 4. Nathalie joined Channel 4 at the end of 2005 to launch Channel 4 Radio and lead the development and operation of the radio business, including their bid for the licence to run a new national digital radio multiplex. Nathalie is also Chairman of the national digital station, Oneword Radio.
Nathalie was previously Capital Radio’s Director of Strategy and Development and an Executive Director on the plc Board (1998 – 2005). She played an instrumental role leading Capital’s £710 million merger with GWR to form GCap Media.
In her time at Capital Radio plc, Nathalie played a leading role in the expansion of the business through a series of acquisitions including the Century Radio network, Beat FM in Scotland and Choice FM in London. She also had management responsibility for the company’s digital media strategy, alongside business and commercial development, regulatory and public affairs and market research.
Nathalie was also responsible for the Group’s charity and community functions. She has been a Board Director on the leading digital radio multiplex consortium groups including MXR, CE Digital and has represented Capital Radio at the DRDB.
Prior to joining Capital Radio, initially as Company Secretary and Head of Legal Affairs in 1998, Nathalie spent five years with global law firm, Clifford Chance, qualifying as a corporate finance lawyer in 1995.
Company profile
The Channel Four Television Corporation is a publicly-owned not-for-profit broadcaster operating in the UK. The main public service channel, Channel 4 is a free-to-air service funded entirely by advertising and sponsorship. Unlike the BBC, it does not receive licence fee funds.
Channel 4 transmits across the whole of the UK, except some parts of Wales, which are covered by the Welsh language S4C. It is available on all digital platforms (terrestrial, satellite and cable) as well as through traditional analogue transmission.
Channel 4 also operates a number of other services, including the free-to-air digital TV channels E4 and More4, the subscription service FilmFour (which will be relaunched as a free-to-air channel in summer 2006), and an ever-growing range of online activities at channel4.com, including the broadband service FourDocs. The FilmFour production division produces and co-produces feature films for the UK and global markets.
The Channel’s primary purpose is the fulfilment of its public service remit, which was most recently defined in the 2003 Communications Act. This states that “the public service remit for Channel 4 is the provision of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:
(a) Demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and content of programmes.
(b) Appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society.
(c) Makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature and other programmes of educative value.
(d) Exhibits a distinctive character.
As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 does not produce its own programmes but commissions them from more than 300 independent production companies across the UK, a far greater number than any other broadcaster, including the whole of the BBC. It works very closely with the independent production sector, and invests heavily in training and talent development throughout the industry.
The Channel 4 service was originally established under the Broadcasting Act 1981 and was provided for by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The Channel Four Television Corporation was subsequently established under the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Channel’s functions were transferred over to the new Corporation in 1993. The Corporation’s board is appointed by OFCOM in agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
The Channel Four Television Corporation is a publicly-owned not-for-profit broadcaster operating in the UK. The main public service channel, Channel 4 is a free-to-air service funded entirely by advertising and sponsorship.
Channel 4 also operates a number of other services, including the free-to-air digital TV channels E4 and More4, the subscription service FilmFour (which will be relaunched as a free-to-air channel in summer 2006), and an ever-growing range of online activities at channel4.com, including the broadband service FourDocs. The FilmFour production division produces and co-produces feature films for the UK and global markets.
www.channel4.com
