TV
Sir Trevor McDonald has signed a new contract with ITN, worth an estimated £2.5 million.
The deal will see the presenter front News At Ten for the next four years. His existing contract expires in March 2002, but chiefs at the news organisation were keen to get a new deal signed up quickly. One insider told the Media Guardian, "ITN were very much the driving force behind this new four-year deal. It was very important to have his name attached to the organisation because of the plans to float the company."
Another source said: "There wasn't a need for a new contract. The terms of his existing deal were loose enough to enable him to have switched from 6.30pm to 10pm but with talk of the BBC trying to poach him, it was vital to secure him for the four years running up to his official retirement."
Sir Trevor said, "If anyone had told me a couple of years ago that I would be presenting News at Ten and the Tonight show, I would say they should have a close look at what they'd had for their tea. Ten o'clock is very much an ITV time. It's our time."
Speaking of the shorter bulletin - just 20 minutes - he said, "The idea that you can control people's attention span for 30-40 minutes is rapidly changing. I even think there's an advantage in getting the news over in a shorter time. People want to move on to other things."
David Liddement, ITV controller of programmes, said: "I think a longer bulletin is appropriate in the early evening and a shorter bulletin is more appropriate for later on."
The deal will see the presenter front News At Ten for the next four years. His existing contract expires in March 2002, but chiefs at the news organisation were keen to get a new deal signed up quickly. One insider told the Media Guardian, "ITN were very much the driving force behind this new four-year deal. It was very important to have his name attached to the organisation because of the plans to float the company."
Another source said: "There wasn't a need for a new contract. The terms of his existing deal were loose enough to enable him to have switched from 6.30pm to 10pm but with talk of the BBC trying to poach him, it was vital to secure him for the four years running up to his official retirement."
Sir Trevor said, "If anyone had told me a couple of years ago that I would be presenting News at Ten and the Tonight show, I would say they should have a close look at what they'd had for their tea. Ten o'clock is very much an ITV time. It's our time."
Speaking of the shorter bulletin - just 20 minutes - he said, "The idea that you can control people's attention span for 30-40 minutes is rapidly changing. I even think there's an advantage in getting the news over in a shorter time. People want to move on to other things."
David Liddement, ITV controller of programmes, said: "I think a longer bulletin is appropriate in the early evening and a shorter bulletin is more appropriate for later on."
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