| Revision as of 19:37, 5 August 2006 editAerographer1981 (talk | contribs)191 editsm Reverted edits by Rock of Islam to last version by Wikiwoohoo← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:31, 13 August 2006 edit undo70.254.28.113 (talk) "illegitimate" off tone; presumption in favor of privacyNext edit → | ||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| Peter Jay was the son of ] and ], both ] politicians. He was educated at the ] and served in the ], then worked as a ] at ] before becoming a ] and, for 10 years, economics editor with '']''. | Peter Jay was the son of ] and ], both ] politicians. He was educated at the ] and served in the ], then worked as a ] at ] before becoming a ] and, for 10 years, economics editor with '']''. | ||
| Jay is the former husband of ], whom he married in ] and divorced in ]. His friend Dr. ], foreign secretary in the government of Jay's father-in-law, ], appointed him UK ] to the ], an appointment that caused some controversy and accusations of ]. |
Jay is the former husband of ], whom he married in ] and divorced in ]. His friend Dr. ], foreign secretary in the government of Jay's father-in-law, ], appointed him UK ] to the ], an appointment that caused some controversy and accusations of ]. | ||
| Jay subsequently returned to journalism in Britain but was initially most visible as leader of a consortium of high-profile media figures, including ] and ], who won the license for an idea that did not work according to its business plan: he was founding chairman of ], the breakfast TV station launched by the consortium, where his "mission to explain" and the initial focus on news and current affairs did not yield economic success for the company (the first to broadcast outside traditional broadcasting hours in Britain). The station was rescued after a coup that involved ] and by the more down-market ] character introduced by ], whose success there helped him build his credibility to become Director-General of the ]. | Jay subsequently returned to journalism in Britain but was initially most visible as leader of a consortium of high-profile media figures, including ] and ], who won the license for an idea that did not work according to its business plan: he was founding chairman of ], the breakfast TV station launched by the consortium, where his "mission to explain" and the initial focus on news and current affairs did not yield economic success for the company (the first to broadcast outside traditional broadcasting hours in Britain). The station was rescued after a coup that involved ] and by the more down-market ] character introduced by ], whose success there helped him build his credibility to become Director-General of the ]. | ||
Revision as of 01:31, 13 August 2006
The Honourable Peter Jay (born 7 February 1937) is a British economist, broadcaster and diplomat.
Peter Jay was the son of Douglas Jay, Baron Jay and Peggy Jay, both Labour Party politicians. He was educated at the University of Oxford and served in the Royal Navy, then worked as a civil servant at HM Treasury before becoming a journalist and, for 10 years, economics editor with The Times.
Jay is the former husband of Margaret Jay, whom he married in 1961 and divorced in 1986. His friend Dr. David Owen, foreign secretary in the government of Jay's father-in-law, James Callaghan, appointed him UK Ambassador to the United States, an appointment that caused some controversy and accusations of nepotism.
Jay subsequently returned to journalism in Britain but was initially most visible as leader of a consortium of high-profile media figures, including David Frost and Anna Ford, who won the license for an idea that did not work according to its business plan: he was founding chairman of TV-AM, the breakfast TV station launched by the consortium, where his "mission to explain" and the initial focus on news and current affairs did not yield economic success for the company (the first to broadcast outside traditional broadcasting hours in Britain). The station was rescued after a coup that involved Jonathan Aitken and by the more down-market Roland Rat character introduced by Greg Dyke, whose success there helped him build his credibility to become Director-General of the BBC.
Peter Jay returned to high-brow journalism and became Economics Editor of the BBC. His appearances on screen with explanations of major economic and business issues showed his intellectual grasp but could sometimes baffle his peak-time news audience. After his retirement, this task was handled by his successors (separately for economics and business) in a rather simpler and arguably more lucid way, with more visual illustration. He has written Wealth of Man, a book exploring the history of man's search for wealth.
| Preceded bySir Peter Ramsbotham | British Ambassador to the United States 1977–1979 |
Succeeded bySir Nicholas Henderson |