The importance of being the top dog

Steve Morrison’s tenacity and ambition propelled him towards becoming the new chief executive at Granada.

Fred the daytime TV weatherman is obviously more famous in Dublin than Steve Morrison, the new chief executive of Granada Media Group.

Morrison was presiding over a dinner for 150 Granada staff and guests in a Dublin restaurant a few years ago when he became dissatisfied with the service. When no pepper showed up with his meal he demanded of an overworked waiter: “Do you know who I am!?” Morrison’s unhappiness increased later when the waiter wouldn’t go out and buy him a cigar after his meal – again came the question: “Do you know who I am!?”

The restaurant staff were obviously thrown by the scattering of minor TV stars at the meal and pushed the waiter forward to suggest that Morrison must be the aforementioned Fred. The only thing funnier than Morrison’s deflated ego was the attempt by his employees to stuff napkins into their mouths to stop their laughter.

The story illustrates an oft-remarked tendency of Morrison to emphasise status. But this week he must be a happy man. After being disappointed by the appointment of Duncan Lewis, former Mercury chief executive, above him when Granada Media Group was created in April, he has now replaced Lewis. Lewis left suddenly last week after reportedly rowing with Charles Allen, Granada plc’s chief executive.

On paper Morrison looks every part the Granada man. He has been with the company since 1974 when he joined as a documentary film-maker. He moved to become head of regional programmes, then head of documentaries, before becoming Granada director of programmes in 1987.

He was made managing director of Granada Television in 1992 and managing director of LWT after its acquisition by Granada in 1994.

Yet those who know him claim that Morrison’s towering ambition makes him less a Granada man than a Morrison man. “Steve is for Steve only,” says one colleague who not surprisingly wishes to remain anonymous.

He is best known to the readers of Marketing Week for his position at the head of ITV’s marketing group for the past year. He presided over the appointment of M&C Saatchi to ITV’s new 5m advertising account. “Morrison has an unrivalled tenacity,” says Martin Bowley, chief executive of rival Carlton’s sales operation and his deputy on the marketing group. “When he gets hold of a bone he will not let go.”

Many advertisers will have experienced as much from Morrison at a number of conferences where he has stuck doggedly to the importance of the size of ITV peak time audiences as the network’s primary selling point.

Morrison’s new role will involve leading Granada Media through the next round of the ITV acquisitions while looking for growth opportunities overseas.

If Morrison loves detail and “worrying a bone” so much, it will be interesting to see how he fares with the big strategic game. As back-up, he will have above him the experienced acquisition team of chairman Gerry Robinson and Charles Allen to keep an eye on prospective purchases.

Lewis’ two faults are reported to have been bad chemistry with Allen and “woeful naivety” about television, according to one source.

In contrast, Morrison’s career has thrived under Robinson and Allen, and though he might be mistaken for Fred the weatherman, no one can accuse him of not knowing about television.