Martha Kearney steps down from presenting Radio 4’s Today programme
Martha Kearney has resigned from her role as presenter on Radio 4’s Today programme, stating that she is looking forward to sleeping in after waking up at 3am for the past six years.
On Thursday, coworkers and pals honored the veteran BBC host, with Kearney expressing her fondness for building strong bonds with the audience.
Kearney mentioned that focusing too much on Twitter might give the impression that there is a lot of hate towards us. However, the listeners of Radio 4 are fantastic. When you see them in person, their excitement is truly heartwarming.
The number of people listening to the radio each week has stayed the same at 5.6 million during the beginning of 2024, as shown by Rajar statistics. However, this is lower than the peak of 7.5 million listeners per week in 2017, following the Brexit vote and Donald Trump becoming US president.
The BBC understands that fewer people are listening to radio in the traditional way, so they may need to make some changes to their programming in the future.
Even though the 8.10am interview on Today is still important for government ministers, there are now other podcasts like The Rest Is Politics and The News Agents, as well as commercial radio stations like LBC, that are also offering influential interviews. Today is making changes to its format in order to keep up with the popularity of podcasts and other morning talk shows.
Kearney's exit has resulted in five remaining hosts - Justin Webb, Mishal Husain, Nick Robinson, Amol Rajan, and the newest addition Emma Barnett. They will now take turns presenting on Today's show, which airs six days a week.
Kearney started working at the BBC in 1988 after previously working at LBC. During her time at the BBC, she held various positions such as presenter of Woman's Hour and Newsnight political editor. She spent over ten years hosting World at One before moving to Today in 2018 as part of a job exchange with Sarah Montague.
Kearney's friend and former coworker Kirsty Wark, who recently left Newsnight, praised Kearney's skills as a reporter. Wark emphasized that Kearney's success as a presenter should not overshadow her impressive record as a journalist. Wark specifically highlighted Kearney's exceptional ability to uncover stories and her unparalleled work in Northern Ireland. Kearney's accomplishments, including a Bafta nomination and breaking the story of secret negotiations between Martin McGuinness and the British government, were recognized by Wark. Additionally, Wark mentioned Kearney's groundbreaking interview with paramilitary prisoners at the Maze prison nearly three decades ago for Newsnight.
Kearney was famous for her fascination with bees and had multiple beehives before eventually becoming allergic to the insects.
Wark expressed his joy in waking up to the sound of the beehive. Martha is not only a good friend to many lucky individuals but also a trustworthy voice for listeners.
Before her last performance, it was revealed that Kearney will be back on Radio 4 in the fall with a show called This Natural Life. Co-host Rajan joked about her final broadcast, saying, "After talking about wild swimming and puffin colonies 268 times, they've finally given you a nature show."
