Sky News

I'm probably in a minority as I quite like James Rubin's programme, despite his lack of presenting experience.

If he were to stay in the long term perhaps a better way to use him would be to have him out on location more, with Tim Marshall anchoring in the studio, as was done recently.

BBC News 24, launched in 1997, has pulled ahead of Sky News in ratings, rising from an average 5m weekly reach in 2005 to 6m, while Sky News fell from 4.6m to 4m.

It’s laughable style over substance.
£40m squandered on a shiny set (which is beautiful), camera swoops, News24 rip-off captions, and a new ‘informal’ feel with that three's-a-crowd presenter that’s so awkward you physically cringe.
8 presentation areas, and not one of them journalistically relevant or offering any authority. Where is the advance to bring Sky News ahead of its rivals?
Did it overtake CNN? BBC World?
Sky News has always been a loss-leader, always burnt tens of millions every year. But this re-launch was prompted by Murdoch junior. Mr P being hauled into the office and asked what big idea he has for the autumn?
This is the result. Utter nonsense and I expect heads (I’m sorry Nick, but you’ll be the first) will roll within a month.
£40m,for the sake of 80,000 viewers! (And that's on a bloody good day)
It’s disgusting.

to a lesser extent IMHO, Buckley

Sky settles for life of Ryley

The first challenge facing John Ryley will be to restore Sky News' reputation for breaking news

John Plunkett
Monday May 8, 2006

He is mates with Eddie Izzard, a fan of 80s new wave music, and was at one time known for handing out the "hairdryer treatment" to staff. Meet John Ryley, the new head of Sky News.

A Sky veteran of 11 years' standing, Sky News executive editor Ryley is described by colleagues as a "self-confessed news nerd" and an "extraordinary dynamo" who can take his fair share of the credit for the awards and acclaim the channel has garnered over the last decade under departing boss Nick Pollard.

He has overseen all areas of Sky's output, including night shifts, early mornings and the flagship afternoon slot.

"When he joined Sky in the mid-90s it was still riding the wave of being the only 24-hour news channel," says a Sky source. "That was enough to survive in those days, but John was instrumental in making Sky News look how it did when it was at its peak."

"He gets involved in everything," says another source. "Nothing is too small or unimportant for him to put his stamp on. You could be in the gallery at any time of day or night and he would ring up asking why haven't you done this, or why have you done that.

"He is an extraordinary little dynamo figure who drives everything from top to bottom. He is a great asset and I imagine he will get only more intense."

But if the channel's standing has fallen since its big-money relaunch last autumn, as its critics claim, then Ryley must share some of the blame. He was closely involved in the set design, its new look and is described by one source as a "key player" in the relaunch.

"He is Mr Graphics, Mr News Wall," says a colleague. "He is a news nerd, and he probably won't mind admitting it."

Ryley joined Sky in 1995, first as an executive producer and then as executive editor. He began his broadcasting career as a graduate trainee at the BBC before joining ITN at 1990.

"When he was an executive producer at Sky he had a reputation for giving people the hairdryer treatment," says a source. "But when he got the job as head of output he seemed to calm down a bit."

But Ryley still has a willingness to speak out. Two years ago, he hit out at the poor quality of trainee journalists, saying there was a lack of originality in TV news output that was "supine" and "all mush and no crackle".

"Reporters I come across don't want to deliver exclusive stories - they walk in and expect to be told what to do," he told the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival.

"If you worked for a national newspaper and did not bring in exclusives then you would be out of a job. In television that is not the case. There needs to be a change in culture," he told festival delegates.

His staff will be hoping he is similarly forthright in speaking up for his channel, amid reports that BSkyB wants to cut its budget to help pay for the increased cost of sports rights, its new high definition TV service and broadband package.

It's a sign of Ryley's industry standing that he was seen as a candidate to succeed Roger Mosey as the BBC's head of TV news last year, a job that went to Peter Horrocks.

Ryley's challenge will be to restore his news channel's reputation for breaking news while retaining the better elements of its relaunch. Just how many elements he should keep, including star signings such as Eamonn Holmes and James Rubin, depends on whom you talk to.

He helped put Sky News top of the tree in the 90s. Now he's in the hot seat, can he do it a second time?