So Peter Barron, editor of BBC2’s flagship news programme Newsnight, is leaving the Corporation to become head of communications and public affairs for the UK, Ireland and Benelux regions.
In many ways it’s a perfect job move for Barron, who has long been an advocate for experimenting with ways in which new media and interactivity can be integrated into a thriving newsroom environment. Not that his efforts always met with enthusiasm from his key anchorman:
Barron’s move takes him out of the running for the job of BBC2 Controller, after Roly Keating announced he was leaving to lead the Corporation’s digital archive project — himself no stranger to Paxman’s barbs…
Seriously, it’s thought that Barron was still ‘one job away’ from being able to go for a position as a channel controller. Previously, people in his position would go to the US or a satellite channel in the UK, but still stay in television. It’s a sign of the changing times that a corporate PR position, albeit for the largest media corporation in the world, is now seen as being just as valid a stepping stone.
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