BBC News: Presenters & Rotas

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/7885711/Three-newsreaders-go-in-BBC-cull.html

One would assume the weekend slot to go would be one of the co-presenters on the evening shift (I.e. Annita McVeigh or Clive Myrie) and I can't imagine Clive going as they seem to quite like him. Perhaps Annita will go back to reporting, unless Maxine, Nick or Sophie are facing the chop/ decide to call it a day or the beeb realise how much Tim Wicox's bill for hair products has reached?

Appears James Dagwell is off, unless he takes someone else's position. And what about Kasia Madera and Juliet Dunlop? They've both been doing far more Overnight/ NC shifts than Red Button ones recently and are probably considerably cheaper than certain other presenters?

I do ask though, what was the point of bringing in the four over-50s presenters if not simply for publicity? Surely only bringing Carole and possibly Zeinab on (already on payroll), and maybe extending the hours of Maxine Mawhinney to cover more weekdays would have made most economic sense? I just hope those to face the chop aren't Maxine, Sophie, Juliet or Kasia, and would be (bizarrely) sad to see Dagwell go!

Agh! Not pleasant news really, though if anyone should go it should be Annita in my opinion. Maxine and Nicholas are classed as part of the over 50 brigade and so any shedding of that category would obviously cause backlash.

E24 has become a waste of time, an unnecessary part of the News Channel's output in my opinion. There is no reason why the main output can't feature 5 mins of entertainment news, at points throughout the day. Shame to see James leave, but I've always felt he's not exactly cut out for news presentation.

Agreed about Annita, though it would be sad to see any of them leave. I just hope they see the worth of Sophie Long, who has really improved over time. Then again how many shifts are there at weekends? Karin and Tim seem to present quite a few weekend shifts?

Agreed that E24 is a waste of time, but I actually think James is quite bearable on overnight bulletins. I'd rather see him move back to the evening entertainment slot and see Tazmin Lucia Can't leave.

The Telegraph's article was wrong on the E24 front. It's two producers posts that are being closed.

Does anyone really care anyway....I mean, come on get a life you lot!!

It would be sad to see them leave because that would involve them losing their jobs and, in this climate and with both Sky and the BBC cutting the number of journalists on and off screen gradually, potentially hard for them to get jobs.


Excuse me for feeling compassion for someone about to lose their paid employment.

Media Guardian say either three presenters will go or the number of shifts presenters work will be reduced. Also there will be a focus on fewer but 'better' stories on the news channel. Debateable if this is a good thing or not
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/13/bbc-bbc1-breakfast-salford


2 between Breakfast and 7pm, then the double headed evening shift. The 2 daytime shifts can't really be merged unless they got a breakfast presenter to stay on until lunchtime

Though the other way to save a presenter would be to either use a news channel presenter for the BBC1 news, or use the BBC1 presenter on the news channel as the co-presenter in the evening

Would be quite difficult if said Breakfast presenter was in Manchester, though.

why is it double headed in the evening? The rest of the weekend isn't!

Yes todays confirmation does change that. However on a short term basis it could still work

Probably cause that evening shift is too long for one anchor on his own.

According to BBC World, Juliette Foster has now become Juliet Foster. Is this another strap error, or has Juliette done a Stephen Dixon and actually changed her name, I wonder..................hmmmmmm..........

On the subject of that same name, watching Juliet Dunlop overnight (actually early morning in Philippines) and she is rather good indeed. I think she has become an excellent newscaster. The presenting duties have been shared this week between Juliet and Kasia Madera, who is also good and who I still maintain is Sue Barker's twin.

I see she likes the old doily-style fashion though (Kasia).

But, where is Mr. Yates, the King of them all?