News UK Broadcasting today announces the appointment of Kate McCann to the new role of Political Editor at TalkTV, the major new TV channel due to launch early in 2022.
Currently Political Correspondent at Sky News, Kate will bring heavyweight Lobby experience to this pivotal role across the talkTV primetime schedule, including regular appearances on Tom Newton Dunn’s weeknight news and current affairs show. She will also contribute to News UK’s speech stations, talkRADIO and Times Radio.
An exceptional political correspondent based in Westminster, Kate is renowned for delivering analysis and breaking news and exclusive stories. Before joining Sky in 2018, she worked at The Daily Telegraph as senior political correspondent and The Sun as political correspondent.
Kate was highly commended at the Press Awards in 2017 for her Labour manifesto scoop, the first time a political manifesto had been leaked to a newspaper in its entirety. At Sky she launched and presented Campaign Unwrapped, an election podcast designed to give people an insight into how politicians campaign. She has regularly appeared on a number of Sky’s daily and weekly podcasts.
Kate was chair of the Press Gallery in 2018, only the second woman to hold the title in over 200 years.
Kate said: “TalkTV will be a new and distinctive voice in UK news and we’re determined to bring top quality journalism and analysis to people in the way they want it. I’m incredibly excited to be joining the launch team and to be part of something that will shake up how we think about political reporting. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Scott Taunton, CEO of News UK Broadcasting, said: “Both on and off camera we are assembling a world-class team to bring TalkTV to the nation, and Kate is the perfect choice as our Political Editor. One of the sharpest rising stars in the Lobby, her incisive analysis and ability to deliver world class scoops will add significant insight to our audience’s understanding of the mechanics of Westminster.”
Kate’s appointment follows the announcement earlier this week that Tom Newton Dunn will host a major, primetime news and current affairs show weeknights on TalkTV. The lively, hour-long prime time show will give viewers the news that matters to them in a straight and balanced way. News UK’s world-beating stable of specialist journalists from print and broadcast will join Tom every night to share the very latest in their fields, from The Times‘s political team to The Sun‘s showbiz desk, talkSPORT‘s correspondents as well as business reporters from across News Corp’s titles. It will also feature agenda-setting interviews and a regular discussion panel drawn from across the political spectrum.
The show will form part of the prime time launch schedule for the TalkTV, and will air ahead of a major new show from iconic broadcaster Piers Morgan.
TalkTV will offer a mix of programming. There will be proper news bulletins, sports and entertainment shows, as well as current affairs, debate, opinion and documentaries which call on the expertise of journalists and broadcasters from across News UK’s roster of brands, including talkRADIO, talkSPORT, Virgin Radio, Times Radio, The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times.
The channel will be streamed live and made widely available on all platforms, including linear TV and OTT, with content available across social media as well as News UK’s own broad inventory of websites and apps. Everyone in the UK will be able to access the channel and its programming, live or on-demand, either on their television or on any personal device.
News UK will continue to hire some exceptional new talent to join a schedule of prime time programming for the evenings and there will be further announcements in the coming weeks.
