Robert Peston lined up for political editor role by ITV

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/28/robert-peston-lined-up-for-political-editor-role-by-itv

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ITV is understood to have offered the role of political editor for its flagship News at Ten bulletin to Robert Peston, the BBC’s economics editor.

The appointment of such a well-known BBC presenter would be a coup for the commercially funded news channel which is looking to beef up its flagship news bulletin.

Peston, who has described the decision as “agonising” according to friends, is expected to make up his mind in the coming days.

ITV has revamped its flagship show with the appointment of Tom Bradby, who has known Peston since the BBC economics editor worked as the political editor at the Financial Times. The channel is looking to invest in the news show after years in which it has performed poorly against the BBC. Its typical audience is half that of the main BBC News at Ten programme.

Earlier this year in an interview with the Radio Times, which first reported the job offer on Monday, Peston said he was looking for “another big challenge”.

He said: “I mean, I love the BBC. I genuinely don’t know … I mean, going from print journalism to the BBC was a big change, and I sort of feel that I wouldn’t mind another big change, but I haven’t the faintest idea what it would be.”

He joined the BBC as business editor in 2006 and is best known for breaking a string of exclusives in that role starting with the Northern Rock affair. He was appointed economics editor in October 2013 but has a varied role at the corporation, recently presenting an interview show with Eddie Mair on Radio 4 and fronting several documentaries.

Peston was understood not to have applied for the job of BBC political editor, which Laura Kuennsberg was promoted to this summer.

In June, it was announced that Bradby was to become the ITV bulletin’s main presenter in a return to its 1990s format, with a single anchor rather than the duo of Julie Etchingham and Mark Austin.

Etchingham is to continue to present some bulletins as well as international affairs editor Rageh Omaar, who currently presents some weekend bulletins, while Austen is to co-anchor the early evening news with Mary Nightingale.

An ITV News spokesperson said: “We’re in the middle of a recruitment process for the ITV News political editor role so we won’t be commenting on speculation.”