John Ryley will address Oxford Media Society today at 6.30pm in Barclay Room, Green Templeton College.
He hails from Witney, but the Head of Sky News unconsciously did more than most to stop the Honourable Member for Witney, David Cameron, winning the overall majority he wanted for the Conservatives in May. John Ryley was the man whose single-minded determination brought about the first live TV debates between party leaders in the run-up to the election, a coup many had previously attempted but never achieved. Ryley made his position to the prospective PMs perfectly transparent in an op-ed column in The Times: show up or we'll do the show anyway with an empty seat. He was even willing to co-operate with the BBC and ITV to make it happen. Though Cameron had been expected to do well, he was outflanked by a popular Nick Clegg (remember that!) and struggled to connect with voters.
This supreme accomplishment is hardly untypical of Ryley's career. Ever the high-flyer, he was appointed Head of Sky News four years ago at the age of just 44, having already spent 11 years at the channel, latterly as its executive editor.
Described by colleagues as an "extraordinary dynamo" and a "news nerd", Ryley will be speaking about his phenomenal career at the top of British TV and the challenges facing journalists in today's 24-hour news environment.
