NME editor BEN KNOWLES has been chosen to sit on LONDON Mayor KEN LIVINGSTONE‘s Cultural Strategy Group.
Ben is one of 23 people drawn who’ll sit on the board – other members include Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate Gallery and Yasmin Anwar, commissioning editor of Channel 4.
The group meet for the first time next week (July 19), and will be responsible for discussing policy on theatre, sport, tourism and music in the UK’s capital, with early attention being made to issues such as the Millennium Dome and the 2012 Olympics bid.
Ben said: “It’s an exciting opportunity. NME exerts great influence on and has a great insight into the best music and cutting edge youth culture. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say.”
NME has previously shown its support for Livingstone by organising the fundraising ‘All Back To Ken’s’ gig, featuring Fatboy Slim, at the London Astoria in April to raise money for his campaign fund, and by putting him on the cover in London during the run up to the mayoral election.