Sky News have promoted Jonathan Levy to managing director and executive editor. This comes after John Ryley, who had held the position for 17 years, announced his resignation in December. David Rhodes, former vice president of Fox News, has also moved to become executive chairman of Sky News Group.

Levy will now have “primary responsibility for the journalism on all UK platforms” whilst Rhodes will have “overall responsibility for Sky’s news services across EMEA”, including the development of commercial strategy. Levy said:

“It’s the greatest privilege to lead Sky News’ journalism when there’s such an urgent need for impartial and independent reporting and analysis. There is an exceptional team of journalists here with a burning passion for hard-hitting visual storytelling.”

Presumably Jonathan enjoyed the “hard-hitting visuals” of Kay Burley’s Nicola Bulley coverage.

Not to be outdone by ‘GB News’ bursting onto the stage, Rupert Murdoch’s News UK is quietly getting on with its own TV offering, spearheaded by David Rhodes, a former Fox News executive who was President of CBS News until last year. Rhodes was hired back in May and since then has been secretly building the framework for a right of centre news-centred TV channel in the UK. As Guido explained in September, the field is getting crowded as many believe there is a significant untapped market in centre right broadcasting…

One job ad just published by News UK asks for a researcher with “live television experience“. The ad goes on to say:

“We are looking for experienced news and current affairs Researchers. They should have live television experience, able to research stories and collate information in a digestible manner for the producers.”

A separate ad for Assistant Producers is seeking people who are

“able to cut items and script stories for both pre-recorded and live programming. These roles will provide a variety of editorial and production support to the Producers and Senior Producers.”

Both News UK’s TV offer and GB News are being run by people with serious TV experience and are expected to launch at similar times. 2021 will be a transformative year for broadcast in the UK…

LBC is showing off it’s TV-looking studio today with flashy on screen graphical lower thirds. TalkRADIO has been doing the same with its virtual guests. Mainstream opinion-led TV is already sort of here in the form of these increasingly audiovisual stations. Yet there’s more to come. Guido has compiled the offers on the right vying for the potentially very lucrative spot of Britain’s right wing TV station…

• The much touted new counter to the UK’s glut of left-wing TV news channels ‘GB News‘ has been set up by Robbie Gibb, former head of BBC political programming output and Downing Street Director of Communications. His new operation was recently registered with Ofcom, by a new company All Perspectives Limited. APL’s Director is Andrew Cole, who serves on the board of Liberty Global – which runs Virgin Media and owns 10% of ITV. In short, GB News is an organisation with serious heft behind it…
• Gibb is not alone in a TV venture. Back in May, News UK hired David Rhodes, a former Fox News executive who was President of CBS News until last year. Sources inside the mini-Shard tell Guido the project is very secretive and keeps morphing. Ideas doing the rounds include the creation of an 18 hours-a-day live news channel, through to a more slimline offer of just three shows a day. Rhodes is a serious TV man, not an ideologue, although he now reports directly to Rebekah Brooks…
• NewsUK is already building experience with Times Radio and TalkRADIO – the latter of which has been expanding its video offering, and there’s every chance its radio personalities could become television talking heads. The lines between internet and TV are becoming increasingly blurred… 
• In less advanced plans, Guido hears that millionaire Brexit Party Chairman Richard Tice is mulling the idea of to setting up his own new radio station on the right, with a video offer rivalling TalkRADIO. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, is building up his video presence on YouTube, with interviews and documentary films. Auditioning for something?
• The Speccie, in addition to a sweep of podcasts, has launched a video offer called Spectator TV which currently hosts a weekly zoom chat show with Brillo. A bit of a step down from the state of art BBC studios…
• The IEA has a snazzier offer too, with Director General Mark Littlewood offering weekly live broadcasts in the style of Question Time except all the panelists are good. Could he be vying for a spot at whichever new station gets off the ground?

A broadcasting shake-up is coming. Hard-to-regulate internet TV is now making inroads as mobile broadband improves. The BBC is running scared. Opinionated radio has already established itself with ‘balance in the round’ – across the schedule rather than within each show. Whether GB News or the NewsUK offers both launch, or combine efforts, broadcast news is facing the dawn of a new era…