Jana Bennett

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Jana Bennett

Discovery Communications (1999–2002)
A&E Networks
(2012–2017)
Spouse
Richard Clemmow
(m. 1995)
Children2

Jana Eve Bennett

FYI in July 2014.[citation needed
]

Prior to joining A+E Networks, she was President of BBC Worldwide Networks and Global BBC iPlayer. In that role she was responsible for

Bennett was a member of the governing board of the Pew Research Center. She was also a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company[3] and was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 1999.[4]

Early life and education

Bennett was born in Cooperstown, New York on 6 November 1955, the third of five daughters born to Gordon and Elizabeth (née Cushing) Bennett.[5] Her father was an English professor and her mother was a librarian and educator.[6][7] In 1969, her family moved to England, living in Felpham, where she was educated at Bognor Regis Comprehensive School.[5] She then studied philosophy, politics and economics at St Anne's College, Oxford, where she was in a band with future Prime Minister Tony Blair.[2] She undertook post-graduate studies at the London School of Economics where she was awarded an MSc (Dist) for her work on strategic analysis and international and defence studies.[7]

BBC career

In 1979, Bennett won a place on the

Nova
in the United States.

In 1994, she was appointed the BBC's Head of Science, the first woman to take that role. She initially didn't believe she would get the job, as she was heavily pregnant when she interviewed for the post.

TLC channel in August 1999. She was appointed an OBE in 2000 for her work in science broadcasting.[9]

Discovery Communications

At TLC Bennett transformed the channel's ratings and revenue performance. She introduced a new editorial direction under the slogan "Life Unscripted" which included reality-drama and interior design shows, some of them based on popular British formats. The audience success of shows

Junkyard Wars exemplified a shift in programming towards more mass-appeal shows. Ratings rose under her leadership.[7]

Later BBC career

In 2002, Bennett returned to the UK to take the job of Director of Television. In this capacity she took charge of the launch and expansion of the BBC's portfolio of 7 digital TV channels:

CBBC and CBeebies. This included winning the approval of the government for the launch of BBC Three, the corporation's youth orientated digital television channel, which at the time was considered by some to be a controversial development for the BBC.[citation needed
]

In 2006 the BBC's Director-General, Mark Thompson reorganised the BBC's divisional structure, creating BBC Vision from the amalgamation of the corporation's Television, Drama Entertainment & Children's and Factual & Learning divisions. Bennett was promoted from Director of Television to Director of Vision taking "overall creative and leadership responsibility" for the commissioning, production and scheduling of television, video and online content across the BBC's analogue and digital television networks (excluding the BBC News and Parliament channels), the web, mobile phones and interactive technology.[11]

During Bennett's tenure, BBC television was responsible for natural history landmarks, such as

Wallander and Sherlock.[citation needed
]

Bennett's division was also heavily involved in the planning and launch of the corporation's on-demand service, BBC iPlayer, providing 400 hours content for the service each week. In a speech to the

Red Nose Day
in 2009.

She implemented the BBC's out of London strategy for commissioning and production.[13] In 2010, she launched the BBC's year of science across television, radio and online.[14] In the same year she established BBC One HD,[15] and also announced a major new Shakespeare Season.[16][17]

In addition to the BBC branded television channels, as Director of Vision, Bennett had responsibility for feature film production through

In the Loop, Fish Tank and StreetDance 3D, the first 3D film produced outside the US. Bennett was appointed to BBC Worldwide as President, Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer in February 2011.[18] Bennett left BBC Worldwide in 2012 following a reorganisation of the company.[19]

A+E Networks

In June 2012, Bennett was appointed President of

A+E Networks in New York.[20] She served in this role until 2017.[7]

Personal life

Bennett was a member of the

Women in Film and Television and in 2011 and 2012 she was included in the WFTV power list.[21][22]

In 1995, Bennett married Richard Clemmow, an editor and fellow media executive. The couple had two children.[7]

In May 2019, Bennett was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a kind of brain tumour.[5] She died at her home in Oxfordshire on 11 January 2022, at the age of 66.[7]

Bibliography

  • Bennett, Jana; Simpson, John (1986). The Disappeared: Story of Argentina's Secret War of Oppression. Sphere. .

References

  1. ^ a b "BBC Newsnight profile". BBC. 12 March 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0140-0460
    . Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Annual Report". Royal Shakespeare Company. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  4. ^ "RTS Fellows". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Heggessey, Lorraine (25 January 2022). "Jana Bennett obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  6. ^ "MediaGuardian Top 100 2009". The Guardian. London. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Seelye, Katharine Q. (26 January 2022). "Jana Bennett, Former Director of BBC Television, Dies at 66". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Google Drive Viewer". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  9. ^ "TLC'S Jana Bennett Receives Order of the British Empire At Buckingham Palace". PRNewswire (via The Free Library). 5 December 2000. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  10. ^ "All eyes are on TLC's home show | The Seattle Times". Archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  11. ^ "BBC Vision launches with a promise to audiences" (Press release). BBC. 20 November 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Jana Bennett speech given to the Royal Television Society, London" (Press release). BBC. 20 September 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Beyond the M25: A BBC for all of the UK" (Press release). BBC. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  14. ^ "BBC launches year of science". Royal Society. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. ^ "BBC One HD Channel to launch 3 November" (Press release). BBC. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  16. ^ Singh, Anita (21 September 2010). "The live play's the thing in BBC Shakespeare season". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  17. ^ "Vision Forum 2010" (Press release). BBC. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  18. ^ "BBC Press release: Jana Bennett to join BBC Worldwide as President, Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer" (Press release). BBC. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  19. ^ "New BBC Worldwide organisational design moves P&L ownership from divisions to geographies" (Press release). BBC. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  20. A+E Networks
    . Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  21. ^ "Power List | WFTV | Women in Film and Television". WFTV. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  22. ^ "Women in film and television Top 50 Powerlist 2012 | Media". London: theguardian.com. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2013.

External links