Former CNN anchor and NBC News correspodent Martin Savidge, who’d been anchor of the PBS program “Worldfocus” moves to a special correspondent role on the show while Daljit Dhaliwal (left), a former CNN and BBC anchor, will replace Savidge as anchor beginning Aug. 31.
“Martin Savidge has been restless to get out in the field,” said Marc Rosenwasser, EP of Worldfocus. “We’re pleased to be able to add his experience and insight to our field reporting team while having Daljit Dhaliwal play a larger role at the anchor desk. However, we are relying on Martin to take some turns in the anchor chair,” Rosenwasser added.
Click continued to read the press release…
Martin Savidge Returns To Field Reporting; Will Serve As Fill-In Anchor
Daljit Dhaliwal To Take On Regular Anchor Duties
NEW YORK, August 17, 2009 – Worldfocus, public television’s weeknightly international newscast, will make adjustments to its nightly anchor lineup. Martin Savidge, who has anchored Worldfocus since its debut, will become a special correspondent in the field. Daljit Dhaliwal, who has been a contributing correspondent and occasional substitute for Savidge, will become anchor. The changes will begin August 31, 2009. Worldfocus is produced by Creative News Group for WNET.ORG.
“Martin Savidge has been restless to get out in the field,” said Marc Rosenwasser, Executive Producer of Worldfocus. “We’re pleased to be able to add his experience and insight to our field reporting team while having Daljit Dhaliwal play a larger role at the anchor desk. However, we are relying on Martin to take some turns in the anchor chair,” Rosenwasser added.
“I’ve been delighted to be the steady nightly anchor for Worldfocus during its inaugural year,” said Savidge. “It’s been a pleasure to help launch this important news franchise from the anchor desk in New York. But every night, as correspondents file their stories from the far-flung reaches of the globe, I find myself a bit envious. I’m eager to get back out there where the news is made.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity,” said Dhaliwal. “In a very short-time Worldfocus has become the program to watch for in-depth international news stories showcasing a diverse group of voices through a diverse group of guests. I’m excited to play a more central role in anchoring this newscast as it grows both on-air and online with a more interactive website coming soon. I look forward to working with the entire Worldfocus team.”
Dhaliwal is a seasoned broadcaster who has worked for some of the world’s most respected news organizations, including CNN International and BBC News. She has covered many of the major news stories of the last ten years, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the conflicts in the Middle East and the Balkans, just to name a few. Most recently, Dhaliwal has been host of Foreign Exchange, a weekly half-hour international affairs series on PBS that examines America’s role in an increasingly complex and interdependent world. The series probes the global questions of the moment through conversations with international newsmakers, politicians, diplomats, and journalists.
Dhaliwal has covered breaking news, live events and interviewed a wide range of newsmakers and personalities ranging from the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and rapper T.I. She has also interviewed Pakistan’s assassinated opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Senator George Mitchell, Northern Ireland’s Gerry Adams, and Israel’s Ehud Olmert and Shimon Perez just to name a few. In addition to filling in as anchor, Dhaliwal has reported from Singapore and India, and mostly recently from the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania her role as correspondent for Worldfocus.
Prior to joining Worldfocus, Savidge was a correspondent for NBC News and CNN.
Since its launch in August 2008, Worldfocus has won the Robert F. Kennedy award for Journalism and has been nominated for two national Emmy awards. The show is now seen on 88% of public television stations across the country.
With its unique production model and network of international partners, Worldfocus has provided a steady stream of daily, breaking, and in-depth international news, In addition to covering breaking stories, Worldfocus reporters have produced numerous long-form pieces focusing on everything from War in the DR Congo to the global food shortage.
Worldfocus delivers global coverage from a variety of viewpoints. Contributors include: The New York Times; The Washington Post; The Wall Street Journal; the Christian Science Monitor; NBC; ABC Australia; ITN (Great Britain); Deutsche Welle (Germany); TV Globo (Brazil); Israel’s Channels 2 and 10 and Israel Broadcast Authority; Al Jazeera English; CBC NewsWorld (Canada); GlobalPost; A24 (an aggregator of African programming) and also features daily interviews with an extraordinarily diverse group of experts on international affairs.