The BBC’s head of news has sent a message to all staff at the corporation asking them to “email an expression of interest” if they want to apply for the job of chief presenter of Radio 4’s PM.
The vacancy emerged after long-serving presenter Eddie Mair announced last week that he was moving to LBC talk radio. Mair’s last broadcast will be on 17 August after 25 years as presenter.
In an email, seen by Press Gazette, Fran Unsworth told staff the hour-long news and current affairs show was “extremely important to our audiences and we need to consider carefully who should take over as the presenter”.
Staff who would like to be considered for the role should email their expression of interest by 17 July, she said.
Unsworth, along with Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams and daily news programmes controller Gavin Allen, will decide who to appoint.
The open invitation to apply for the PM job comes as the BBC makes continued efforts to close its gender pay gap, aiming for pay parity by 2020.
Unsworth, who took over as the BBC’s head of news in January this year, has previously told staff: “I’d like to see a real culture change at the BBC to make it a better place to work for everyone.
“This means creating more opportunities for you to move around, collaborate, innovate and connect with our audiences.”
PM airs for an hour at 5pm weekdays and half-an-hour Saturdays on BBC Radio 4.
Picture: BBC