MUMBAI: Ceri Thomas has been announced as the new head of programmes for BBC News.

Ceri will take on the new role from 18 March. He takes over from Stephen Mitchell, who is leaving the BBC.

News Programmes brings together all the major daily and weekly current affairs output, investigative journalism and major interview programmes including Panorama, Today and Newsnight. The department also includes services focused on distinctive audiences, including Radio 5 Live news programmes and Asian Network news as well as BBC Radio 1 news programmes such as Newsbeat.

The department is a journalistic powerhouse for the kind of original journalism which distinguishes the BBC from its competitors. Interviews and original journalism are shared across News adding value for audiences by bringing exceptional expertise together to find and break more news stories.

Ceri said, "So much of the heart and soul of BBC News lives in this department. It?s full of variety and ambition and endeavour. It?s where we take risks - calculated editorial risks, but risks all the same - and it?s vital that we don?t stop taking them. It?s an enormous privilege and a huge challenge to take on the job of running it."

BBC director of news Helen Boaden said, "Ceri brings outstanding experience of running one of our highest profile daily Current Affairs programmes, Today, which he has brilliantly modernised while building new relationships across the BBC. He is passionately committed to delivering courageous, challenging current affairs journalism on all platforms and is one of the most creative thinkers in BBC News.? Ceri started his broadcasting career in 1989 as a producer of AM at LBC Radio. He then joined the Today programme as a junior producer in 1991, progressing to Assistant Editor under Roger Mosey from 1995.

Ceri then moved to Radio 5 Live as Breakfast Editor and eventually to Head of News for the station. He spent a year at Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow and, on returning, took on the new role of Radio Newsgathering Editor, taking the lead in strengthening the relationship between Newsgathering and Radio News and reviewing and re-organising Radio News? own reporting base.

MUMBAI: BBC has announced that Sam Taylor is to lead its news channel.

The editorial and creative leader of the BBC‘s move into a new HD ready digital newsroom was appointed BBC News Channel, BBC News at One controller.

The BBC News Channel is a 24-hour rolling news service available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media and online via the BBC News website, mobile services and on tablets. It was first launched in November 1997 as BBC News 24.

The BBC News Channel is the BBC‘s flagship continuous news channel, reporting on breaking news and the main stories of the day. It shows the main BBC One bulletins at 1 pm, 6 pm and 10 pm, as well as BBC Breakfast. There are headlines on the hour as well as UK and foreign news, sport, business news and weather.

Taylor joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1997, and has worked as a producer and editor on the BBC News Channel, before becoming editor of BBC News at One and editor of BBC Newswire, the Corporation‘s multimedia internal news service.

As an output editor on BBC One bulletins, he helped shape the BBC‘s coverage of some of the biggest stories of recent years - 7/7, the London Olympic Bid, the 2005 election and the death of Dr David Kelly. Most recently he has been responsible for the design and delivery of the BBC‘s plan to move its newsrooms from Television Centre and Bush House into one building at New Broadcasting House (NBH), and has led the development of BBC News output on social media.

The BBC adds that his track record in television news combined with a deep expertise in digital news media mean he is very well placed to lead the News Channel, and take forward its role at the heart of the BBC‘s live and breaking news services on all platforms.

BBC Newsroom head Mary Hockaday said, "This was a competition with high quality candidates. Sam won out because he has great news judgement in line with BBC News editorial values and a real sense of the channel‘s strengths and how to build on them. He takes a creative approach to leadership combined with great integrity. A real track record in covering hard news takes nerves of steel. Having clear strategic vision and knowledge of the new media landscape takes intellect and editorial flair. Sam combines all these qualities. He is a creative leader with his feet on the ground.‘‘

BBC News Group director Helen Boaden said, "The channel is vital to the success and credibility of BBC News; Sam‘s creative flair, digital savvy and editorial experience make him the ideal Controller at a time of great change" Taylor said, "I am delighted to take on this role. The BBC News Channel has been part of my life since its launch 15 years ago. I‘m taking over a channel that in the past few years has become the clear market leader, and is more respected and widely available than ever before. I‘m looking forward to taking the channel and its very strong team into New Broadcasting House where not only will we have a fantastic new studio, we will also be able to work even more closely with colleagues across the BBC - and ensure that our audience gets the very best live, breaking and developing journalism, wherever and whenever they want it."

He will take up his role later in the month.