Kirsty Wark swipes at BBC bosses for losing their ‘best’ staff as she quits Newsnight after whopping 30 years
KIRSTY Wark has made a comment about the BBC letting go of their ‘best’ staff as she prepares to leave Newsnight after 30 years.
Kirsty, 68, was the longest running presenter of the news programme before deciding to step down from her role after the next general election.
Last month the Beeb announced that they were cutting Newsnight down to 30 minutes in a bid to save £7.5m.
The budget cuts will also see half of the staff who presented the programme axed.
Kirsty spoke about the broadcaster’s choices on BBC Radio 4, sharing how difficult the news was for her colleagues.
She told Emma Barnett: “It was really a tough time for everybody. In this world, it’s all about the brand and Newsnight is a massive brand for BBC Two.
“Especially in an election year, every single night we will interrogate what is going to be a critical election. So, it’s not about killing it, I mean some people wanted to kill it maybe.
“But, lots of people didn’t want to kill it and I think whatever happens down the line, it’s going to be in hale and hearty health. We won’t have some of our best editors, but we will still have Nick Watt running up to an election.”
Although she still has high hopes for the future of the programme, the journalist revealed that she did not agree with the decisions made by the BBC.
She added: “I’m going to be bullish about this and I think I wouldn’t have done it. I loved Newsnight the way it was, but your point about linear [TV] is not lost.
“Everybody has to change and so I think there is a future for Newsnight and I think it will be in a different format.”
Although Kirsty is leaving Newsnight, she will remain on BBC Radio 4 shows such as The Reunion and Start the Week.
When she announced her intentions to quit, she paid a moving tribute to the show, saying: “There’s not a day when I don’t look forward to coming to the office, and every day I learn something from the team about all manner of things, from aspects of American foreign policy to how to make a great mojito.
“Last year I spoke to both to the Director General Tim Davie and to Stewart and signalled my desire to end my three-decade run on the show after the next election, and that’s the plan.”