Page 61 - Powerlist 2019 - Digital Edition

Marcus Ryder
Chief International Editor of China Global
Television Network Digital

Marcus oversees one the largest digital media news Media, Publishing & Entertainment
organisations in China and says that reporting on the
country for as many different mediums is a priority for him.
He started his career at the BBC in 1992 and held a number
of positions, including current affairs chief where he
oversaw several high-profile programmes.
In his current position of Chief International Editor of
CGTN Digital – the English-language version of China’s state
broadcaster, China Central Television – in Beijing, his focus
is to relaunch the foreign news channel digitally.
He is also responsible for training journalists from across
the world to cover the news in an impartial and balanced
manner, part of his job that he calls ‘capacity building’.
He tries to instill news values into journalists who come
from countries where news has been either dormant or
suppressed.
Marcus, who works at the Chinese news site at a time
when it is keen to expand its global outreach, says he is
attempting all of this while “trying to avoid imposing
so-called Western values”.
“We use internationally recognised newswires as our
primary sources, including the likes of Reuters, AFP and AP.
We also rely on a network of journalists throughout China
Kanya King and the rest of the world,’ he adds.
In the next few months, plans are under way for him to set
Chief executive/founder, MOBO up the Royal Television Society’s first foreign-based office in
Beijing.
Awards queen Kanya King is fast running out of space in Additionally, he works closely with Sir Lenny Henry on
her own trophy cabinet. This year she was awarded a CBE in increasing diversity in television and was instrumental in
the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. This is in addition to the pushing for tax breaks for British films that meet diversity
MBE she was given for services to music and culture in 1999. criteria, a policy that the Labour Party has now adopted.
Kanya is the woman behind the veteran music awards He has long championed diversity in the media and for
show, the MOBOs, which she founded in 1996. The five years was the Chair of the Royal Television Society
opportunity arose when a broadcast slot with Carlton Diversity Committee.
Television came up, and she had six weeks to organise the
whole event.
The MOBO Awards have played a crucial role in bringing
African and Caribbean sounds and culture to the British
mainstream. As a platform for emerging artists, it has
helped launch and promote the careers of some of the
biggest names in the industry, including Rihanna and Tinie
Tempah.
Kanya, who remortgaged her home to fund the TV
production, has steered the brand to much more than just an
awards show. Today, the MOBOs encompass a live tour, TV
channel and website. It also offers training and mentorship
to aspiring young musicians.
Kanya is also a consultant on government initiatives for
disadvantaged youth and a founder member of New Women,
an influential body of high-profile women in the media.
She also has an honorary fellowship of Goldsmiths
College and an honorary degree of Doctor of Business
Administration at London Metropolitan University.
She has been named as one of London’s Most Influential
People by the Evening Standard, one of Britain’s Most
Entrepreneurial Women by Real Business and one of Britain’s
Most Influential Black People in a Thomson Reuters/JP
Morgan Power List. In 2016, she was awarded the Media
Pioneer award at the Music Week Women In Music Awards.

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