William Davis (journalist)
Encyclopedia
William Davis, Knight, Order of Merit of Italian Republic, (born 6 March 1933), is a journalist
, broadcaster, editor
, company director, and founder of the in-flight magazine High Life. In the early 1990s Davis became chairman of the British Tourist Authority and English Tourist Board. Davis remains an active commentator, broadcasting and publishing books and writing articles.
citizenship. At age 18, he was already a journalist and specialised in commentary about economics
and financial affairs.
, a British international business newspaper. Lord Beaverbrook appointed Davis the City Editor (1960–1965) of the London Evening Standard
and then he went on to become Economics Editor (1965–1968) of The Guardian.
During this time Davis made regular appearances on the BBC
's live Budget
programmes presented by Ian Trethowan
. Davis provided live comment and analysis of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
's Budget speech as it was delivered in the House of Commons
. There were no microphones or cameras in Parliament
at the time, so details were relayed to the BBC studio via a teleprinter
.
Davis presented BBC North's financial programme Prospect. He took the idea of popular financial journalism to Grace Wyndham Goldie
and developed the idea into The Money Programme
for BBC2, which he also presented. Davis was one of the first presenters of the Radio 4
programme The World at One
, a role he shared with William Hardcastle
.
In 1968 William Davis was elected editor of the satirical magazine Punch and the rival publication Private Eye
dubbed him "Kaiser Bill".
Davis has been a Chairman and a Director of several publishing and travel companies. He founded and was Editor-in-Chief of, the in-flight magazine High Life. In the early 1990s William Davis became chairman of the British Tourist Authority and English Tourist Board.
Davis appeared as a contributor on The Pound in Your Pocket a retrospective series of archive programmes shown on BBC Parliament
in 2007. The programme marked forty years since the devaluation of the Pound
by the British government on 18 November 1967. A subject covered by Davis is his book Three Years Hard Labour: The Road to Devaluation.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, broadcaster, editor
Literary editor
A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews. A literary editor may also help with editing books themselves, by providing services such as proof reading, copy-editing, and literary...
, company director, and founder of the in-flight magazine High Life. In the early 1990s Davis became chairman of the British Tourist Authority and English Tourist Board. Davis remains an active commentator, broadcasting and publishing books and writing articles.
Early life
William Davis was born in Hannover, in 1933. He came to Britain aged 16 and adopted BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
citizenship. At age 18, he was already a journalist and specialised in commentary about economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and financial affairs.
Career
During 1954-1959, William Davis was on the staff of the Financial TimesFinancial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, a British international business newspaper. Lord Beaverbrook appointed Davis the City Editor (1960–1965) of the London Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
and then he went on to become Economics Editor (1965–1968) of The Guardian.
During this time Davis made regular appearances on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's live Budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
programmes presented by Ian Trethowan
Ian Trethowan
Sir Ian Trethowan was a British journalist, radio and television broadcaster and administrator who eventually became Director-General of the BBC...
. Davis provided live comment and analysis of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
's Budget speech as it was delivered in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. There were no microphones or cameras in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at the time, so details were relayed to the BBC studio via a teleprinter
Teleprinter
A teleprinter is a electromechanical typewriter that can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over a variety of communication channels that range from a simple electrical connection, such as a pair of wires, to the use of radio and microwave as the...
.
Davis presented BBC North's financial programme Prospect. He took the idea of popular financial journalism to Grace Wyndham Goldie
Grace Wyndham Goldie
Grace Wyndham Goldie was an important innovatory producer in British television for twenty years, particularly in the fields of politics and current affairs. During her career at the BBC, she held her own as one of the few senior women in an establishment dominated by men...
and developed the idea into The Money Programme
The Money Programme
The Money Programme is a finance and business affairs television programme on BBC2.It was first broadcast on 5 April 1966 and presented by "commentators" William Davis, Erskine Childers and Joe Roeber. At this time David Attenborough was the controller of BBC2...
for BBC2, which he also presented. Davis was one of the first presenters of the Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme The World at One
The World At One
The World at One, or WATO for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, which is broadcast from 1pm to 1:30pm from Monday to Friday. The programme describes itself as "Britain's leading political programme. With a reputation for rigorous and original...
, a role he shared with William Hardcastle
William Hardcastle (broadcaster)
William Hardcastle was a British journalist, editor of the Daily Mail and first presenter of the lunchtime news programme The World at One on BBC Radio....
.
In 1968 William Davis was elected editor of the satirical magazine Punch and the rival publication Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
dubbed him "Kaiser Bill".
Davis has been a Chairman and a Director of several publishing and travel companies. He founded and was Editor-in-Chief of, the in-flight magazine High Life. In the early 1990s William Davis became chairman of the British Tourist Authority and English Tourist Board.
Davis appeared as a contributor on The Pound in Your Pocket a retrospective series of archive programmes shown on BBC Parliament
BBC Parliament
BBC Parliament is a British television channel from the BBC. Its remit is to make accessible to all the work of the parliamentary and legislative bodies of the United Kingdom and the European Parliament...
in 2007. The programme marked forty years since the devaluation of the Pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
by the British government on 18 November 1967. A subject covered by Davis is his book Three Years Hard Labour: The Road to Devaluation.
Publications
The following are books written by William Davis:- Three Years Hard Labour: The road to devaluation, 1968.
- Merger Mania, 1970.
- The Language of Money, 1973.
- Have Expenses, Will Travel, 1975.
- It's No Sin to be Rich, 1976.
- The Best of Everything (editor), 1981.
- The Rich, 1982.
- Corporate Infighter's Handbook, 1984.
- Fantasy: A Practical Guide to Escapism, 1984.
- The Innovators, 1987.
- Children of the Rich, 1989.
- The Lucky Generation, 1995.
- The Great Myths of Business, 1997.
- The Rich: A New Study of the Species, 2006.
- Caviar Dogs, 2008