Category: News
Date: 09.03.2006
Printable version
Huw Edwards has signed a new five-year deal with 91Èȱ¬ News. Under the new deal, Huw will continue to anchor the 91Èȱ¬'s flagship news bulletin the Ten 0'Clock News and, from 10 April 2006, he will also present a 5.00 to 6.00pm slot on 91Èȱ¬ News 24.
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91Èȱ¬ news also announced today that - from 10 April - the One O'Clock News and Six O'Clock News bulletins will join the Ten O'Clock in being simulcast on 91Èȱ¬ News 24 and 91Èȱ¬ ONE.
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All three of the 91Èȱ¬'s flagship news bulletins will then be incorporated into the 91Èȱ¬'s rolling news channel.
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91Èȱ¬ Director of News, Helen Boaden, said: "Huw is an excellent and experienced journalist who brings enormous authority to 91Èȱ¬ News.
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"He has been a much loved part of 91Èȱ¬ ONE's family of presenters for several years and I am delighted that he is now including News 24 in his portfolio.
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"This is great news for our viewers."
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91Èȱ¬ News 24 recently won the Royal Television Society's News Channel of the Year award.
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The addition of Huw to the presenter line-up follows recent announcements that Emily Maitlis and Ben Brown are also joining the channel.
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5.00 to 6.00pm is a key audience slot on News 24 in which the channel already performs well and commands a strong lead over Sky News. 86,250 91Èȱ¬ News 24 viewers tune in on average over the hour compared with 64,000 watching Sky News.
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While the slot will focus mainly on breaking news, Huw will also be working with a small dedicated team to bring viewers high-profile interviews and additional discussion of the day's events.
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Huw Edwards said: "This is a dream combination for me. I get to rejoin News 24 which I helped launch back in 1997, and to keep on presenting the Ten which is an enormous privilege."
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Huw will continue to present many of the 91Èȱ¬'s big outside broadcasts including the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance.
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Notes to Editors
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Huw Edwards has been presenting the Ten O'Clock News since January 2003.
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Prior to this he presented the 91Èȱ¬'s Six O'Clock News and was formerly Chief Political Correspondent for 91Èȱ¬ News 24.
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Huw has presented a wide range of 91Èȱ¬ programmes, including Newsnight, Panorama and Breakfast News.
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Huw joined the 91Èȱ¬ in 1984 as a news trainee. In 1985 he joined the television newsroom in 91Èȱ¬ Wales, and in 1986 became 91Èȱ¬ Wales' Parliamentary Correspondent.
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He was appointed TV News Political Correspondent in 1988, and went on to cover the downfall of Margaret Thatcher in 1990.
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He anchored the 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 Election Night coverage in 1992, with Brian Redhead, and in 1997 with James Naughtie.
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He started presenting the One O'Clock News, the Six O'Clock News and 91Èȱ¬ Breakfast News in 1994, and anchored the One O'Clock News' innovative coverage of the 1997 election.
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Born in August 1961, Huw was raised in Llangennech, near Llanelli, and attended Llanelli Boys Grammar School.
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The Ten O'Clock News has an average viewing figure of 4.6 million, with a share year-to-date of 21.6%.
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91Èȱ¬ News 24 has a weekly reach of 5.7 million viewers against 4.2 million viewers watching Sky News and a monthly reach of 11 million viewers (against Sky News' 9.2 million). Reach is calculated as the number of viewers watching the channel for 3+ minutes per week.
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91Èȱ¬ News 24 is the leading UK rolling news channel with a share of 0.55% (against 0.49% for Sky News).
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91Èȱ¬ News 24's new regular line-up of presenters and timeslots from the 10 April:
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8.30-11.00am Presented by Kate Silverton and Simon McCoy
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11.00am-1.00pm Presented by Jane Hill and Matthew Amriowalla
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1.00 - 1.00pm One O'Clock News (simulcast on 91Èȱ¬ ONE) presented by Anna Ford, with Sophie Raworth taking over later this year
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1.30-2.00pm Presented by Jane Hill and Matthew Amriowalla
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2.00-5.00pm Presented by Jon Sopel and Louise Minchin
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5.00-6.00pm Presented by Huw Edwards
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6.00-6.30pm Six O'Clock News (simulcast on 91Èȱ¬ ONE) presented by George Alagiah and currently Natasha Kaplinsky
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7.00-10.00pm Presented by Emily Maitlis and Ben Brown
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10.00-10.30pm Ten O'Clock News (simulcast on 91Èȱ¬ ONE) presented by Huw Edwards
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10.30pm-12.30am Presented by Chris Eakin.
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