The BBC has tapped former CBS news producer and executive Dick Meyer as its executive producer of BBC News, America. Meyer was most recently executive editor of NPR, and before that led CBSNews.com. He was also a producer for the “CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.”

Meyer will be tasked with expanding the BBC’s newsgathering reach stateside, and will oversee “BBC World news America” and the U.S. edition of BBC.com/news. he begins in February.

“I am honoured and humbled by this new responsibility,” said Meyer in a statement. “The BBC is simply the greatest newsgathering operation in the world today. As American news organizations undergo difficult change, the BBC has an important role in this country and a real opportunity for growth. I am proud to have the chance to help with that important work.”