[Kojak]

These are seriously valid points and I really expected the BBC to look more closely than they appeared to before going for the “nuclear option” of what is effectively a NC closure in favour of WN. There were, and continue to be, seemingly easy ways of producing additional output for little additional cost.

It must have also cut costs to have used the same presenter for the 6 and 10 bulletins, as they did for the pandemic, and it makes sense given that the two are largely similar broadcasts these days. Again, the 1 being a NC production clearly opens up opportunity for an extended coverage of some sort to be done on the cheap. Why not? The BBC just don’t appear to have addressed these ideas at all. At the very least, the Six and Ten presenter should stay on for the rest of the hour (as you rightly say). The One presenter already does this, so why not the 6 and 10? At least we would be spared the “guide dogs time” of 22:40 every night! It’s like the new CBeebies Bedtime hour, but for adults!

Also, I think other than Sir Trev, all of the main ITV News presenters appeared on the ITV News channel covering shifts, or back filling hours. 

Now, other than Huw Edwards presenting the 5, name which other 'network' faces would appear regularly on the News channel? Huw would present the 5 when he was rota'd to do the 10 - but yet George, Sophie, Mishal and Fiona Bruce never did. Nothing against them, but it never seemed right and no explanation was ever given.

We hear the BBC need to make cutbacks and Tim Davie says about people getting 'value for money', there were really obvious areas of News channel/network (presenter) duplication which could've been addressed - especially when the output was coming from the same studio - long ago but weren't and now we're in this even worse situation.

Yeah, you're right - I think everyone (except Sir Trev, of course!) at ITV News did stints on the NC. Nicholas Owen (or Katie Derham, if she was on that day) would usually host the 1-2 hour straight after the Lunchtime News, and post-February 2004, Mark and Mary regularly did 3-4pm. And Alastair Stewart would do his show from 10am, then stay on for London Tonight at 6. 

Back to the Beeb - wasn't Sophie a fairly regular fill-in around 2007-8? ISTR now and again she would do the One and then stay on to do the afternoon shift on 24 (as it was known back then!). @Newsroom pointed out many times on the old forums that Fiona must have it in her contract to not appear on the News Channel, which would make sense as she has never, EVER done so. George and Mishal both had shows on World for several years as well.