Purdy exiting BBC Kids in Canada

Lisa Purdy is to leave her director post at Canadian children’s channels BBC Kids and Knowledge Kids.

Purdy has been in the role at Knowledge Network since 2011, but exits on November 18.

“After five years of strengthening the Knowledge Kids brand and establishing the BBC Kids service, I’m ready for a new challenge,” she said in a statement. “I will be pursuing new opportunities in the broadcast and production sectors.”

Rudy Buttignol will take over operational responsibility of BBC Kids specialty network, adding those duties to his existing president and CEO posts.

Purdy has previously worked for the CBC, Telefilm Canada and Creative BC.

BBC Kids counts British Columbia-based Knowledge Network, which is a charity organisation, and the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, as its key shareholders. Technically, it is a 50-50 JV, but Knowledge controls 80% of the voting rights.

The channel launched in 2001 as a JV between BBCWW and Alliance Atlantis, with Knowledge Network buying out Shaw Communications’ share in the business ten years later.

Shaw had become a shareholder after acquiring CW Media, which was a Goldman Sachs-Canwest operation that had taken control of Alliance Atlantis’ broadcasting assets in 2008.

After becoming part of the Knowledge stable, BBC Kids was relaunched as a commercial-free children’s channel for 2-17s.