institution story:

Change afoot as Endemol founder returns
Chris TryhornMonday May 14, 2007http://media.guardian.co.uk/city/story/0,,2079441,00.html

John de Mol's return to Endemol, the independent TV producer he co-founded 13 years ago, is likely to bring big changes to the company, including the possible departure of Peter Bazalgette.
Although Mr de Mol is only one of three investors taking over the Big Brother and Deal or No Deal producer in today's €3.5bn (£2.4bn) deal - along with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset and Goldman Sachs - company insiders expect him to play a hands-on role.
Mr Bazalgette stepped up to his job with Endemol's global business in January 2005 from the company's UK arm along with Tom Barnicoat, who became chief operating officer. Mr Barnicoat left Endemol in March to head a rival bid for the company.
The managing director of Endemol France, Stephane Courbit, is almost certain to walk away after setting himself against Mr de Mol as a rival bidder for the whole company.
Mr de Mol will however be comforted by probable support from the UK and the US, two of the company's key markets.
For Mr de Mol, today's deal marks a remarkable comeback - and a return to production after a foray into broadcasting.
The Dutchman founded Endemol in 1994 by merging his company, John de Mol Productions, an international player thanks to the success of the show Love Letters, with the production company owned by fellow Dutch creative mogul Joop van den Ende.
Endemol built its success on developing winning formats that could be sold across the world and tailored to the tastes of different broadcasting markets.
Riding the crest of the reality TV wave that broke at the start of this decade, Endemol turned Big Brother into an international phenomenon.
The gameshow Deal or No Deal is now an even bigger hit, generating more revenues worldwide than the reality show behemoth.
Mr de Mol and Mr van den Ende shared a fortune when Telefonica paid €5.5bn (£3.8bn) for their company in 2000.
The former stayed on for another four years as Endemol's chief creative officer.
In the meantime, he became a canny investor, building up stakes in UK independent producers including RDF Media, the maker of Wife Swap and Shed, the company behind Footballers' Wives.