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| Dan Walker and Louise Minchin among those leaving BBC. Which fresh faces can take over? (Image: Irish Mirror) |
Another day, another earthquake has hit the British broadcasting industry. The BBC is currently undergoing a major on and off-air personnel shake-up while Channel 4 could change beyond recognition as its set for privatisation - and elsewhere, there's a new controversial channel set to launch with a similar 'straight talking' agenda that GB Views - sorry, I mean News - promised almost this time last year.
Shake ups in the world of television aren't new, and perhaps not as big of a turning point for the sector as we're seeing analysed. Of course, they're significant developments, but on the other hand, we've seen them coming. Speculation had been rife for some time. Yet, the changes we're witnessing now, which continues from last year with GB News' launch, is due to a culture shift from some corners of society who feel they've been 'silenced' and their blame is pinpointed towards the institutions that have graced our screens for decades. Current Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nadine Dorries, is one of those, focusing her agenda of attacking the 'elitist', 'left' and 'woke' Channel 4 and BBC, there's little wonder why both are in crisis-mode right now.
I echo what others are saying, that it's unnecessary to impose this major change on Channel 4. In fact, it was going through something remarkable in opening a new headquarters in Leeds, proving that a major broadcaster can thrive with a base away from the M25 bubble. It is also, some may argue, producing some of the finest TV and film at the moment. It's a Sin is set to dominate the Bafta Awards. Without proper public and staff consultation, its future has gone from bright to unknown.
One hopes Channel 4 isn't sold quickly and that the approved buyer is a true believer of the broadcaster in its current form; providing that mix of entertainment and forensic news we've craved since its launch almost 40 years ago. Its success allowed other broadcasting minds to be ambitious, and as a result we have hundreds of channels at our fingertips. Andrew Neil should know, playing a significant part of BSkyB's development in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He's now on the move to Channel 4, set to front his own show where he'll be able to flex the journalistic muscles many of us had grown to appreciate. He tried the concept at GB News but that ended catastrophically.
Talk of 'big moves', BBC seems to be running out of presenters at the minute. In recent months it's lost Andrew Marr, Jon Sopel, Emily Maitlis and Dan Walker to name but a few. Laura Kuenssberg will soon take over Marr as host of a Sunday morning programme focused on reviewing the news and talking to major political figures. Her successor as political editor is yet to be confirmed*, and perhaps rightly so as there are big shoes to fill. BBC need to choose wisely. Ultimately, there are gaps in key primetime news positions and there is only so much the broadcaster can rely on Huw Edwards, Fiona Bruce and Victoria Derbyshire. It needs fresh blood to shine.
One of the ways of doing this is having someone to front a new 'profile' type of news programming, a concept which has become something of a trend. These shows are a great way of getting to know the people who are currently making a difference to the world, get to know their roots and what motivates them today. Sir Michael Parkinson was one of the pioneers of this and the more modern form has been perfected by Piers Morgan (who is set to have a show of his own on the new TalkTV channel), when he hosted his Life Stories programme on ITV. The legacy of that show continues with the ever reliable Kate Garraway. This has opened the door to other channels following suit - Sky News's political editor Beth Rigby has her own show, and Emma Barnett too, with Bloomberg TV. BBC television is lacking this, and before you readers want to interrupt, Graham Norton doesn't count, although Jools Holland had tested the 'profile' concept on his own show during lockdown which worked really well.
BBC radio, meanwhile, does a marvellous job of this and it deserves glitz and glamour. Being a recent frequent listener to 5 Live in the evenings, I am in awe of Colin Murray who I truly believe can front his own TV programme. For so long, he's excelled at sport broadcasting, having stints with Channel 5 and Quest TV, presenting highlights of the English Football League. If you listen to his interviewing style on midnight every Wednesday nights where he chats to those from across the creative, political and business industries, it's clear that he's wasted solely on the airwaves. And he is someone who doesn't reveal what he thinks about contentious issues, exactly what a good presenter should be. He needs primetime.
Obviously, it isn't a requirement to have this sub-genre of talk show. Yet, in a volatile media broadcasting landscape, where opinions seem to trump unbiased reporting, TV bosses need to promote the good eggs in the best way they can. BBC and Channel 4 have been through enough these recent years, thanks to an unpredictable Conservative government who can't decide how they're financed or run. It's more important now than ever to keep the high quality of content going.
* Of course less than 24 hours later, Chris Mason was confirmed the new Political Editor of BBC.
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