(02-02-2023, 11:15 PM)Kojak Wrote: Wonder if that last sentence will indeed come to pass?
It already has - Lucy Hockings was originally a producer before stepping in front of the camera, as was Sian Williams.
With regard to the presenters mainly coming from World, I don't think it's entirely surprising. Regardless of the levels of UK content of the channel -
which we do not actually know for certain - it is going to have a more international lean. The simple reality is that those who have spent years on an international news channel will have better top-of-head knowledge about many potential world news scenarios than those who have generally had to be well briefed on UK news. It thus wouldn't be surprising if the World presenters outperformed the others in the presenter trials.
Plus, bar a few exceptions either way, most of the presenters who were up for audition were of a roughly similar capability when it comes to presenting. When it is that close, considerations such as continuity and existing position are going to come into play (somebody mentioned pay earlier - the figure I've seen quoted for the five senior presenters is roughly what it is for senior WN presenters at present - it'd've been a big pay rise for any News channel presenters).
And we musn't lose sight of the fact that this is just one part of the new channel's presenting team - those who made today's decision will also have been thinking about who'd be able for the presenter-reporter roles, who will be good to be part of the UK breaking team and who has other BBC obligations. There was a lot of fretting about Jane Hill today (which fortunately turned out to be unfounded), but it'd've been odd for them to give one of the five senior positions to a presenter who would be frequently elsewhere on network duties.