The head of television for GB News, Helen Warner, has left the station after fewer than four months, marking the latest executive departure at the conservative broadcasting startup.
(Bloomberg) — The head of television for GB News, Helen Warner, has left the station after fewer than four months, marking the latest executive departure at the conservative broadcasting startup.
GB News Chief Executive Officer Angelos Frangopoulos announced Warner’s departure in a memo to staff this week, which was seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by the company. Warner declined to comment.
She was announced as a senior hire at the station in late September, and joined as part of a turnaround effort after leading daytime television programming at ITV Plc and Channel Four Television Co. Warner’s move is the latest in a string of senior executive departures at the station, which began broadcasting in 2021 and has struggled to attract advertisers and keep talent.
Read More: TV Startup GB News Struggles With Staff, Ads in Dash for Viewers
The free-to-air TV and radio channel launched with a promise to shake up the UK television news market that was dominated by the British Broadcasting Corp and Sky for decades. It has built a niche audience by giving shows to figures such as Nigel Farage, the former leader of the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party.
Frangopoulos also announced new hires including executive producer Ben Briscoe, who’s left a rival role working with presenter Piers Morgan at Rupert Murdoch’s News UK, and Sarah-Jane Thompson, who’s leaving Bauer Media Group, he said in the memo. The company is also running refreshers on rules set by media regulator Ofcom, the memo said, as the channel faces investigations regarding standards.
Briscoe and Thompson didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment via their employers and LinkedIn.
Ofcom has previously said it’s running two investigations into presenter Mark Steyn’s coverage of vaccine safety, and it’s assessing whether to investigate a third segment about Covid-19, which aired Dec. 5.
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