ST
Marr to move in changing of TV's political guard
Presenter will take over Frost's Sunday interview show
Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Thursday May 12, 2005
The Guardian
As Labour and the Tories shuffle their political packs in the wake of the election, broadcasters are preparing for a similar shakeup, triggered by the departure of the BBC's political editor, Andrew Marr, to take Sir David Frost's role on a Sunday morning.
It is understood that the corporation will announce in the next few days that Marr, who has been political editor since he replaced Robin Oakley in 2000, is stepping down from the job.
Despite early criticisms from the rightwing press that he was too soft on Tony Blair, Marr has proved a hit with viewers. His much imitated arm waving, energetic style and ability to cut through the Westminster froth has proved a key weapon in the BBC's renewed efforts to engage viewers with its political coverage. Notoriously prolific, Marr is now believed to want a break from the high-pressure demands of the job.
Insiders say the BBC is expected to announce that he will take over Sir David's influential Sunday morning political interview show and combine that role with a portfolio of other broadcasting and writing jobs. Sir David, who was given a Bafta Academy Fellowship this year in recognition of a broadcasting career spanning four decades, announced last year that he was leaving Breakfast With Frost after 12 years.
His last programme will be on May 29 and he has signed a new three-year deal with BBC News to present an irregular series of set-piece interviews with big political, sporting and cultural names. He will also present a new show on Sky One alongside Des Lynam in which viewers will vote for the greatest sportsman or sportswoman in history.
The expected departure of Marr, a former editor of the Independent, coincides with the decision of Elinor Goodman, the political editor of Channel 4 News, to make public her decision to stand down in July after 23 years in the role.
Goodman, who joined the fledgling broadcaster in 1982 from the Financial Times, also cited the unique pressures of the job as her reason to resign.
"I've decided to go early because I want now to do other things both inside and outside of journalism," she said. "After so many years of being never more than a minute ahead of deadline, I think it's time to take up slightly less frenetic and pressured pursuits."
Among the contenders to replace her are her deputy, Gary Gibbon, and the Newsnight political editor, Martha Kearney, who is also on the list of those tipped to take over from Marr.
The departures of Goodman and Marr leave two of the most senior and influential jobs in news broadcasting up for grabs. And a third is likely to also become vacant if, as expected, ITV's political editor, Nick Robinson, is approached to apply for the BBC role.
Robinson, generally considered to have enlivened a difficult election to cover by embarrassing the prime minister several times, is said to be the frontrunner for the job.
Before leaving for ITV in November 2002, Robinson had spent his entire career at the BBC in a variety of roles including chief political correspondent at News 24 and deputy editor of Panorama. Friends say he remains keen to return as political editor.
Kearney, also considered to have had "a good election", is another highly rated contender. She is believed to be considering whether to apply, given the high pressure demands of the role. No one has yet been approached for the job, which will be advertised once Marr's decision to quit becomes public.
Given that the last three BBC political editors came from the world of newspapers, BBC executives are also keen to see whether the application process throws up any new names from the print world.
Among those lobby journalists considered to be keen on a move into television are George Pascoe-Watson, the deputy political editor on the Sun. He was once offered the senior political correspondent's job at BBC News 24 and could be a contender for ITV.
Another potential candidate is Adam Boulton, Sky's well-respected political editor. The BBC and ITV would be keen to poach him but sources say he is "inextricably linked" to Sky News and that neither broadcaster could match his rumoured £400,000-a-year salary.
The wholesale reshuffle comes at a difficult time for the BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden. Like the heads of other departments across the BBC, she is expected to slash budgets by 15% over the next three years.
At the same time, she is attempting to put in place a broad strategy to better connect viewers with difficult issues. For example, the corporation was criticised in an independent report to the BBC governors for failing viewers and listeners on the subject of the EU.
In her response yesterday Ms Boaden promised to improve coverage from Brussels with a range of initiatives including the appointment of a new Europe editor, new training programmes to increase the understanding of reporters and better coordinated coverage across the BBC's various news outlets.
Presenter will take over Frost's Sunday interview show
Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Thursday May 12, 2005
The Guardian
As Labour and the Tories shuffle their political packs in the wake of the election, broadcasters are preparing for a similar shakeup, triggered by the departure of the BBC's political editor, Andrew Marr, to take Sir David Frost's role on a Sunday morning.
It is understood that the corporation will announce in the next few days that Marr, who has been political editor since he replaced Robin Oakley in 2000, is stepping down from the job.
Despite early criticisms from the rightwing press that he was too soft on Tony Blair, Marr has proved a hit with viewers. His much imitated arm waving, energetic style and ability to cut through the Westminster froth has proved a key weapon in the BBC's renewed efforts to engage viewers with its political coverage. Notoriously prolific, Marr is now believed to want a break from the high-pressure demands of the job.
Insiders say the BBC is expected to announce that he will take over Sir David's influential Sunday morning political interview show and combine that role with a portfolio of other broadcasting and writing jobs. Sir David, who was given a Bafta Academy Fellowship this year in recognition of a broadcasting career spanning four decades, announced last year that he was leaving Breakfast With Frost after 12 years.
His last programme will be on May 29 and he has signed a new three-year deal with BBC News to present an irregular series of set-piece interviews with big political, sporting and cultural names. He will also present a new show on Sky One alongside Des Lynam in which viewers will vote for the greatest sportsman or sportswoman in history.
The expected departure of Marr, a former editor of the Independent, coincides with the decision of Elinor Goodman, the political editor of Channel 4 News, to make public her decision to stand down in July after 23 years in the role.
Goodman, who joined the fledgling broadcaster in 1982 from the Financial Times, also cited the unique pressures of the job as her reason to resign.
"I've decided to go early because I want now to do other things both inside and outside of journalism," she said. "After so many years of being never more than a minute ahead of deadline, I think it's time to take up slightly less frenetic and pressured pursuits."
Among the contenders to replace her are her deputy, Gary Gibbon, and the Newsnight political editor, Martha Kearney, who is also on the list of those tipped to take over from Marr.
The departures of Goodman and Marr leave two of the most senior and influential jobs in news broadcasting up for grabs. And a third is likely to also become vacant if, as expected, ITV's political editor, Nick Robinson, is approached to apply for the BBC role.
Robinson, generally considered to have enlivened a difficult election to cover by embarrassing the prime minister several times, is said to be the frontrunner for the job.
Before leaving for ITV in November 2002, Robinson had spent his entire career at the BBC in a variety of roles including chief political correspondent at News 24 and deputy editor of Panorama. Friends say he remains keen to return as political editor.
Kearney, also considered to have had "a good election", is another highly rated contender. She is believed to be considering whether to apply, given the high pressure demands of the role. No one has yet been approached for the job, which will be advertised once Marr's decision to quit becomes public.
Given that the last three BBC political editors came from the world of newspapers, BBC executives are also keen to see whether the application process throws up any new names from the print world.
Among those lobby journalists considered to be keen on a move into television are George Pascoe-Watson, the deputy political editor on the Sun. He was once offered the senior political correspondent's job at BBC News 24 and could be a contender for ITV.
Another potential candidate is Adam Boulton, Sky's well-respected political editor. The BBC and ITV would be keen to poach him but sources say he is "inextricably linked" to Sky News and that neither broadcaster could match his rumoured £400,000-a-year salary.
The wholesale reshuffle comes at a difficult time for the BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden. Like the heads of other departments across the BBC, she is expected to slash budgets by 15% over the next three years.
At the same time, she is attempting to put in place a broad strategy to better connect viewers with difficult issues. For example, the corporation was criticised in an independent report to the BBC governors for failing viewers and listeners on the subject of the EU.
In her response yesterday Ms Boaden promised to improve coverage from Brussels with a range of initiatives including the appointment of a new Europe editor, new training programmes to increase the understanding of reporters and better coordinated coverage across the BBC's various news outlets.
he was a breath of fresh air, a return to form like the John Sargeant and Jon Cole eras. I rate Adam Boulton very highly but think that Robinson would be perfect, he's similar and yet different to Marr.