Radio 4 Today host Mishal Husain to leave BBC
British Broadcasting CorporationThe BBC Corporation has announced that Radio 4 Today co-presenter Mishal Husain will leave the BBC in the New Year.
Hussain has been presenter of the station’s flagship current affairs morning show for 11 years and also moderated the broadcaster’s recent UK general election debate.
Hussain joined the BBC in 1998 and also presented BBC News and its News Channel at Six and Ten.
She will join Bloomberg to host a new interview series and serve as a contributing editor to its Weekend Edition.
Hussain said in a statement that her BBC career “has included many unforgettable moments, traveling to places I would not have otherwise seen, witnessing history and participating in national conversations broadcast live on Channel 4 “.
She added: “I will be forever grateful for the opportunity given to me by the BBC and wish the organization and its members all the best.”
“Awesome reporter”
Today editor Owenna Griffiths described Hussain as “not only a formidable journalist and first-rate presenter” but also “an incredibly generous and thoughtful colleague”.
She said: “It was a privilege to work with her and I will miss her very much and wish her all the best in her new endeavors.”
Hussain is one of five hosts currently on the Today roster, along with Justin Weber, Nick Robinson, Emma Barnett and Amol Rajan.
In the last financial year she earned between £340,000 and £344,999 for around 140 shifts presenting on Today and 20 days reading news on BBC One, plus debates and others on Today project.
“I’m delighted to be hosting a new talk show that will engage audiences in a different format as part of the exciting plans for Bloomberg Weekend Edition,” she said in a statement from her new employer.
“Our world is becoming increasingly complex, but the desire for thoughtful dialogue transcends borders. I look forward to working with the new team at Bloomberg — where I got my first journalism job.”
Career Highlights
Husain began her journalism career at Bloomberg Television in the 1990s before joining the BBC.
During her career with the company, she also reported from countries ranging from the United States to Pakistan.
She interviewed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, after their engagement in 2017; and was part of coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and the King’s coronation.
She has also produced documentaries on the lives of the late Queen, Mahatma Gandhi and Malala Yousafzai, and the 2011 Arab Spring.
Earlier this year, the British presenter’s book “Disconnected: My Family from Empire to Independence” became a Sunday Times bestseller.
The Guardian said she “weaves a tender tapestry of the stories of her four grandparents in the new state of Pakistan”.
News of Hussain’s departure from the BBC comes five months after Martha Kearney left the Today programme.
