Frei Named BBC World News America Anchor
BBC's Lead U.S. Correspondent to Anchor Hour-Long Newscast from Washington, D.C.
By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/5/2007 8:17:00 AM MT
The British Broadcasting Corp. tapped veteran correspondent Matt Frei to anchor its new U.S.-based newscast, BBC World News America. The announcement was made Wednesday by Rome Hartman, the hour-long newscast's executive producer.
Frei, the BBC's lead U.S. correspondent for the past five years, will anchor from Washington, D.C., when the newscast premieres Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
The program -- which will run on U.S.-based cable channel
, as well as global network BBC World News -- will focus on international and U.S. news. It will include interviews and roundtable discussions conducted by Frei from the D.C. studio, as well as packages from BBC correspondents.
"Matt Frei represents the very best of BBC journalism," Hartman said in a statement. "He has a keen nose for a story and a powerful drive to be on the scene of momentous events and to explain them to viewers at home. He's a great writer, a great interviewer and a great storyteller. The best anchors are terrific reporters first and foremost. That's Matt."
Katty Kay, who has anchored BBC News bulletins for the past four years, was named Washington correspondent for the new program, focusing on U.S. politics and, most immediately, the 2008 election campaigns. Rounding out the on-air team, Philippa Thomas, a U.S. reporter for the BBC, was named presenter for the newscast. She will helm a second nightly World News Tonight at 10 p.m., with a live update on news and the Frei interview from earlier.
The on-air announcements come after Hartman named the program's key production staffers last month. They included D.C.-based senior broadcast producer Claudia Milne, who joined from the BBC's Newsnight, and London-based senior broadcast producer Nicky Goldberg, who joined from BBC World News.
Formerly the Evening News producer, Hartman left CBS in June after nearly 25 years at the network to join the BBC as executive producer, BBC World News.
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