Longtime BBC Washington correspondent Katty Kay has been named lead anchor of “BBC World News America,” the nightly newscast that airs on the BBC World News cable channel and on PBS stations across the U.S. Kay is effectively replacing Matt Frei, who had been the lead anchor on the newscast before jumping to Channel 4 in May. Kay also appears regularly on many U.S. networks on shows such as “Meet the Press.”
“In an increasingly complex world, BBC World News America offers a unique global perspective on events both within and outside the U.S.” says Kay in a statement. ” I am delighted to be anchoring a newscast that covers not just the big breaking stories, but wider analysis and reports, as well as bringing the very best of BBC journalism from our network of correspondents around the world to US audiences.”
More information about the move, after the jump.
Katty Kay NAMED New Lead Anchor of Award-winning ‘BBC WORLD NEWS AMERICA’ Airing on u.s. public television
London, 7 September 2011 –The BBC announced today that Katty Kay is to be the lead anchor of the corporation’s flagship U.S. newscast BBC World News America.
BBC World News America with Katty Kay will be part of the expanded coverage of BBC World News.
Katty comments: “In an increasingly complex world, BBC World News America offers a unique global perspective on events both within and outside the U.S. I am delighted to be anchoring a newscast that covers not just the big breaking stories, but wider analysis and reports, as well as bringing the very best of BBC journalism from our network of correspondents around the world to US audiences.”
BBC World News America has won numerous awards, including a duPont-Columbia, an Emmy® and three Peabodys, one of which commended the newscast for overall excellence with the judges in 2009 describing the program as, “A nightly newscast like none the United States has ever had, it places our actions and concerns in a global context.”
Launched on Oct. 1, 2007, BBC World News America delivers daily in-depth reports and analysis on the major international news stories as well as provides a unique insight into events across the U.S. From the studio in Washington D.C., Katty will interview leading opinion formers and political figures, as well as venture outside the capital to anchor the show from overseas and across the U.S.
In September, Katty will be anchoring World News America’s in-depth coverage from New York to mark the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, including wider analysis and reflection from around the world.
Kate Farrell, Editor BBC World News America, comments: “Katty has a wealth of experience reporting from both within the U.S. and also internationally on some of the big stories that have shaped the world. I’m delighted that she will be joining the newscast as our lead anchor, and offering audiences across the U.S. a different view on world events as well as stories closer to home, like the 2012 presidential election campaign.”
Katty Kay: Career
Katty’s career with the BBC began in Zimbabwe in 1990, where she worked for BBC World Service (radio). Among the stories she covered during this deployment were Zimbabwean land reform, the independence of Namibia, and the demise of apartheid in South Africa. She went on to work as a BBC correspondent in London, and later Tokyo, reporting on stories including the Kobe earthquake, the gas attack on the Tokyo underground and the beginning of the Japanese economic recession. She moved to Washington in 1996 and has since covered three Presidential elections, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the crash of 2008 and controversies surrounding the Clinton administration. She was at the Pentagon on September 11th 2001, reporting for the BBC in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
Katty has co-presented BBC World News America and is BBC World News America’s Washington correspondent. She is a frequent guest on Meet the Press and a regular guest host for Diane Rehm on NPR.
Katty’s childhood was spent in various countries across the Middle East, where her father was posted as a British diplomat. She studied modern languages at Oxford University in the UK and is a fluent French and Italian speaker.
Outside of the U.S., BBC World News America airs globally on BBC World News channel, bringing international audiences a unique insight on U.S. news and political events.
Audiences can follow Katty on twitter @kattykaybbc and bbc.com/news/correspondents/kattykay