Bombshell: BBC issues Naga Munchetty statement as tensions rise over “special treatment”
The 51-year-old announced her departure from the BBC Breakfast show last week.
The BBC have reportedly ‘defended’ Naga Munchetty following her move to 5Live Breakfast (Image: BBC/Curve Media)
The BBC has reportedly defended Naga Munchetty following a fresh wave of backlash from her new position on the 5Live Breakfast show. Last month, the 51-year-old broadcaster announced that she is leaving the morning programme at the end of the year after 17 years at the helm. Gushing over her new role, she stated: “I’m thrilled to be joining 5Live Breakfast in January.
“Live news, great conversations and connecting with audiences are what I love most about broadcasting, and 5Live does all of that brilliantly.” She will replace current breakfast show hosts Rachel Burden and Rich Edwards, who will step down from the show in December.
The 51-year-old broadcaster will leave BBC Breakfast at the end of the year (Image: BBC/James Stack)
Since the news hit the headlines, listeners have speculated over the presenter’s new role and her flexible working arrangements. The TV presenter negotiated three days in the Salford studio and two days a week in London, near her Hertfordshire home.
It is understood that her arrangement has caused “consternation” behind the scenes at 5Live, especially because her co-presenter will be expected to work five days a week in the studio in Salford. A source told The Mirror: “Many don’t feel that is particularly fair, and that bosses have afforded her special treatment.”
Another sore topic is that her role was handed to her rather than advertised. The insider told the outlet: “There is disquiet that the role has been handed to her on a plate, whereas prospective co-presenters will have to battle it out for the job.
“Naga was a shoo-in, whereas her co-presenter was expected to jump through various hoops… it doesn’t strike some as particularly fair.” The job advert, currently on the BBC Careers website, states that her new co-star will be required to “broadcast a live 3-hour double-headed breakfast show 5 days a week from Salford.”
Now, a BBC employee has reportedly told the Mirror that the broadcaster is ‘defending’ Munchetty and her new role at the station. They told the publication: “The dust has barely settled on those allegations, and now she is handed the breakfast show job… which is clearly a promotion from mid-morning. It doesn’t feel right.”
Munchetty, one of the Beeb’s highest-paid stars on £365,000 a year, has never commented on the various allegations she has faced over the past few years, including bullying claims in the studio. When approached by the Mirror, a spokesperson for the Beeb told the newspaper: “Appointments into any presenting role are made on merit and in line with the BBC’s standard processes.
“We reject any suggestion that different standards have been applied in this instance.” Express.co.uk has approached the BBC and for a comment
