Wasan Phaileeklee, adviser to the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association, has as expected been appointed MCOT's new president because of his ability and experience in the media industry.

Wasan has worked in various media organisations, including the BBC in London, Channel 7, radio stations and the former iTV. He is also on the committee drafting a master plan for national broadcasting affairs.

"The five-member selection committee saw that his qualifications fit the position," MCOT chairman Boonplook Chaiket said yesterday.

"MCOT needs executives who have extensive experience and management capability, aside from personal morals and ethics. Wasan has them all. In light of media reform, MCOT needs to get ready for change and Wasan is recognised for his role in the government's media reform committee."

On May 2, MCOT will negotiate with Wasan on remuneration, before forwarding the final figures for the Finance Ministry's approval. The new president is expected to start work at MCOT no later than May 15.

Wasan was among four persons short-listed from 10 to reveal their visions of the future to the selection committee on April 24. The others short-listed were Paisit Vatjanapagorn, True Corp's director and general manager for broadband broadcast and multimedia; Thanawat Wansom, chief operating officer of Luk International and an executive of Channel V Thailand; and Supaphan Thaneeyawan, former executive of Nation Multimedia Group.

"I'm ready to prove myself, with decades of experience," Wasan said. "MCOT's benefits will be my work's priority, and I will take the best care of shareholders and society at large."

Industry observers said the new president would come under huge pressure, given the strong record built up by the former incumbent Mingkwan Sangsuwan, who succeeded in boosting the company's financial performance through many projects.

MCOT generated revenue of Bt4.345 billion in 2006, against Bt3.5 billion the previous year and Bt2.97 billion in 2004. Its net profit also rose, to Bt1.5 billion compared to Bt1.1 billion and Bt977.5 million in the two previous years.

MCOT executive vice president Khemathat Phaladej said the appointee would create clarity in MCOT's management, but it would take a while to know the company's direction under the new president.

He also said MCOT now stood to benefit from the government's policy to transform TITV into a public television channel, without any advertising.

MCOT would win a higher audience share and earn more advertising revenue, as both channels' programmes are quite similar, he said. Some producers of the former iTV have contacted MCOT for air time.

"The impact will be clearer in the second or third quarter," he said. "We expect that our second-quarter revenue will rise 10 per cent, and the third quarter, usually the low season, should also show a better result."

In the first quarter, MCOT posted a 10-per-cent year-on-year drop in revenue due to uncertain political conditions and the economic slowdown.

Mingkwan, along with other MCOT board members, resigned after the September military coup to pave the way for the incoming government to name a new board.

Pongsak Phayakvichien had been acting president for six months before the board appointed Wasan yesterday.

Orawan Choodee, MCOT's labour union chief, said the union would give Wasan three months to prove that he would not bring with him political intervention, or old friends from old workplaces.

"He has been working for the government and has friends at many companies where the work environment is different from MCOT's," Orawan said.