Kevin Marsh has been appointed as Editor-in chief, BBC College of Journalism.
Kevin – currently Editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme – will play a key role in the direction of the college. He will also establish and edit the college’s website and commission material to fulfil its aspiration to be a world-class online presence on journalism issues.
Kevin said: “I am enormously excited by the opportunity to create a world class college forum where all the tough issues of journalism are debated.
“After 17 years as a front line programme editor I am really looking forward now to using that experience to help maintain BBC journalism as a gold standard of international journalism.”
Vin Ray, Director of the BBC College of Journalism, said: “Kevin is a hugely respected journalist inside and outside the BBC.
“His enormous experience will now be put to the use of BBC journalism as a whole.
“His appointment is a clear symbol of the college’s ambition and seriousness of intent.”
Kevin Marsh has been Editor of the Today programme since November 2002.
During his editorship the programme has won numerous awards.
Today has also been recognised for setting the news agenda, most recently with a series of reports from Angus Stickler regarding sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and his ongoing work about child abuse within African churches.
The latest of these was in January this year.
Kevin has also introduced innovations such as a focus on citizenship journalism and the Today guest editor slots which this year featured David Blunkett amongst others.
Commenting on the appointment Stephen Mitchell, BBC Head of Radio News, said: “Kevin Marsh is one of the most thoughtful and innovative Today editors that I have worked with over many years in BBC News.
“He has also been one of the most creative of editors, never settling for second best and always putting the interests of the audience first.”
Radio 4 Controller Mark Damazar added: “Kevin has been an outstanding editor of Today – the most demanding editorial job in radio journalism.
“He has had a huge and beneficial influence on Radio 4 for nearly 25 years – most of the time editing some of the network’s most precious programmes.
“It will be a very tough act to follow.”
Kevin joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1978 and – after working in Belfast and Birmingham – joined The World At One team in June 1980.
He then went to work for ITN and, after a short spell on News At Ten, rejoined the BBC as Deputy Editor of The World At One in 1987.
He has also edited The World At One, The World This Weekend, PM and Broadcasting House and has produced a variety of specials for Radio 4, winning numerous Sony Awards.
The award-winning Today programme is Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs programme.
It is listened to by 6.23 million listeners a week (RAJAR Q4 2005), up 160,000 since the summer and 70,000 year-on-year.
There are also about 300,000 international listeners who download the 8.10am interview via podcast.
And the programme has a growing proportion of listeners who listen online or via digital television and not via the radio.