Category: News
Date: 22.02.2006
Printable version
Emily Maitlis, presenter of the Â鶹Éç's main evening news programme for London on Â鶹Éç ONE, is to take on two new significant roles with Â鶹Éç News, joining Â鶹Éç News 24 and Â鶹Éç TWO's Newsnight.
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Emily will co-present Â鶹Éç News 24 from 7.00 to 10.00pm with another new face to the channel - the Â鶹Éç's Special Correspondent, Ben Brown.
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She will also join Newsnight's regular presenter line-up of Jeremy Paxman, Kirsty Wark, Martha Kearney and Gavin Esler.
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Emily and Ben's new roles with Â鶹Éç News 24 follow a period of sustained growth for the channel.
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Â鶹Éç News 24 is now the UK's leading continuous news channel, with 5.5 million viewers per week.
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Newsnight has been Â鶹Éç TWO's flagship current affairs programme since 1980 and is watched by 6.5 million viewers a week.
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Emily's career in journalism started in the Far East where she spent six years as a documentary maker and business correspondent for NBC Asia.
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She continued to report on business matters when she later joined Sky News, before her appointment as one of the channel's main news presenters.
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Emily joined the Â鶹Éç London News team in September 2001, where she has interviewed a number of major figures from political, sporting and show business circles, including Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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Ben, an award winning foreign affairs correspondent, joined Â鶹Éç News in 1988.
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In 1991 he was appointed as the Â鶹Éç's Moscow Correspondent, where he covered the collapse of communism, and in 1998 was appointed Â鶹Éç Special Correspondent.
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During his time at the Â鶹Éç he has played a prominent role in the coverage of some of the most significant international news events in recent years, including the break up of Yugoslavia, both Gulf wars and September 11th.
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Commenting on the appointment, Emily Maitlis said: "This is a great move for me. I would have given up an arm and a leg to work at Newsnight, so I'm rather pleased I don't have to.
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"I'm hugely looking forward to working with Ben on News 24; there's so much energy and so many new ideas on the channel at the moment, it feels like the right place to be."
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Ben Brown said:
"I'm thrilled to be joining the News 24 team of presenters. The channel is riding high at the moment, and has aÌýtremendous energy.
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"I hope I can add to that with my knowledge and experience of almost 20 years of international affairs.
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"I also hope to present from the field when the major stories arise."
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Peter Horrocks, Â鶹Éç
Head of Television News, said:
"This is great news for both viewers and Â鶹Éç News.
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"Ben and Emily are extremely accomplished broadcasters, and personify the best traditions of television journalism - rigorous, straightforward and always fair."
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PR2
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