Equally Webb and Mardell aren't newsreaders
You weren't around for the 90s then?
"The bottom line", I'd argue, is that Sopel will likely be a great North America editor. Probably for a couple of years, before leaving for another broadcaster.
What nonsense, speculation based on absolutely nothing. It isn't even informed speculation. Did you not learn your lesson from your predictions about Laura Kuenssberg last year?
To be even clearer, as I'm clearly not expressing myself well today, I meant that Mark Mardell and Justin Webb were not currently newsreaders, and had not been for some time, upon taking the North America job. Neither would have been expected to turn up on the nationals while they were still in the UK, so there was no reason for them to when they were Stateside. Matt Frei, on the other hand, was supposedly being groomed for bigger and better things, and Sopel still makes fairly regular appearances on the One. And compared to some of their counterparts - be it Nick Robinson or Jeremy Bowen - NA editors don't seem to stick in that position for terribly long. Webb and Mardell covered just one presidential election, and I don't think either had enough (contemporary) experience of the country or time in the job to really become an expert in US political affairs (for example Justin Webb may have argued the corporation was anti-American before taking the position, but apparently failed to notice the Obama campaign's growing success until it was inevitable. That's not to criticise him personally because I think he's a great journalist, but that's not the level of insight or analysis you'd hope for from Robinson or Bowen). Compared to Katty Kay or Matt Frei who were Washington correspondents for years before taking more senior profiles in the DC bureau, or the typical path from political correspondent to political editor, it very much seems like a gateway job to the next one.
Jon has now presented (either as a regular presenter or a stand-in) most of the major strands at the BBC, yet over the last few years has left some of the higher profile (to UK viewers) positions (the sunday morning politics programme, senior presenter on the BBC News Channel, and it's been many years since his last appearance on Newsnight). Becoming a lead presenter on World News was a kind-of-promotion (perhaps a sideways move, from the News Channel?) but nothing compared to if he'd joined Newsnight or Today. He could be replacing Paxman, but he's not. He could have replaced Ed Stourton, but didn't. He could (as some commentators have suggested over the years) replace Nick Robinson, but this now seems increasingly unlikely. So compared to some broadcasters who have made rather fast, straight progressions (I would include Laura Kuenssberg and Mishal Husain in that context), Sopel at this point in his career being moved sideways repeatedly as the corporation slowly decreases in size makes me wonder if he'll eventually follow other BBC journalists, from Dermot Murnaghan and Darren Jordan to Stephanie Flanders last year, to new broadcasters or positions if there's not a bigger challenge waiting for him at the Beeb in a few years time.
I would have thought the move to the North America brief was more of a sideways move again than a strict promotion. So my point was given that media commentators have pointed to other broadcasters, such as Channel 4 News, having been interested in him over the years, considering he's worked for US broadcasters in the past and is now headed to the States, and given that the size and scope of BBC News
will
decrease over the coming years, it wouldn't surprise me if his next move was outside the BBC. I'm not predicting what will happen, I'm suggesting what could happen. And that is based on evidence and existing patterns, not random fantasy-planning like some.
Regarding Kuenssberg speculation - you'll need to be more specific. Do you mean when I doubted she would become the BBC's new Business Editor, and would instead return to political coverage? I didn't expect her to join Newsnight's presenting team, and thought she'd stick with ITV a few years longer than she did, but otherwise she has effectively returned to political broadcasting and didn't remain in business journalism.
Matt Frei was never North America Editor.
He was a correspondent.
I'm almost a hundred per-cent sure he was referred to as North America Editor in a press release or something when Justin Webb took over, even though he'd never used the title when he was actually doing the job. It's almost like he'd been promoted after the fact. Maybe it was just a rogue press release (or maybe my memory is failing me).
Matt Frei was never, and I'll repeat it never, North America Editor.
Look the bottom line is that Jon will not be presenting, full stop - he will be appearing on WNA and on the Ten O'clock News etc. as North America Editor - that is a job in itself.
Making assumptions about what additional stuff he'll do based on what his predecessors did is a bit silly in itself. Matt presented the Six while anchor of BBC World News America, yet his successor Katty Kay never finds her way onto UK programmes. Equally Webb and Mardell aren't newsreaders, so such appearances wouldn't have made sense. And actually the editors you wouldn't expect to guest-host programmes or record radio series (Flanders and Robinson) have done, whereas others with presenting experience and who (arguably) aren't needed on the job in quite the same way (i.e. Jeremy Bowen, especially considering past experience in the [wrong] studio) haven't. They get different duties depending on the person.
"The bottom line", I'd argue, is that Sopel will likely be a great North America editor. Probably for a couple of years, before leaving for another broadcaster. If Nick Robinson moves on next year then Sopel wouldn't be positioned for Political Editor, and he's already missed opportunities on Newsnight and Today in the last year. If/When Jon gets bored traipsing across the States, what will the Beeb have for him?
To be honest it's not in the least bit silly.
The Editor role is a full time role that really does not allow for presenting news bulletins.
Notwithstanding the fact that WNA clashes with the News at Ten in which his editor role will be prominent.
But by that token Nick Robinson and Stephanie Flanders wouldn't ever have presented Newsnight. Political/Economics editor is a far bigger, more important brief than North America editor, yet there are plenty of times incumbents of those have filled in. I wasn't the one suggesting Sopel will be a presenter - that was someone else. I'm merely point out that whether or not Matt Frei was North America Editor at the time he presented the News at Six isn't really that relevant, because at the BBC people are regularly afforded occasional opportunities outside their regular role.
For what it's worth, I would have thought Jon was ideal for Ian Katz' Newnight. Jon is clearly a smart, sharp broadcaster and interviewer, but also has a ligher/comedic side that I would have thought would play well to Katz' style, in the same way Maitlis does. Interesting his new position was announced the day before Paxman's depature.
