Former Today EP Mark Calvert joins Sky News to lead programming and special events
Former Today show EP, Mark Calvert, has joined Sky News as head of programming and special events.
Calvert left Nine in December after five years running the Today show and two years as the network’s director of morning programming.
Calvert joins Sky News as part of a programming revamp
In his new role, Calvert will be responsible for overseeing and developing the channel’s national affairs commentary programs and will also manage special event broadcasts.
The newly created role is part of a shake-up of the Sky News programming team with the network flagging further changes to be announced in coming weeks.
As part of the reshuffle Chris Willis, who joined Sky from Seven in December, has been appointed executive editor for news with both Willis and Calvert reporting to Sky News chief executive Paul Whittaker.
Reporting to Willis will be Greg Byrnes who has been appointed to the newly created role of executive producer of talk.
Byrnes was appointed acting program director in the fallout from the Blair Cottrell controversy, which saw Sky beef up supervision of weekend and late-night programming after the network came under fire for its interview with the far-right extremist.
Sky News chief executive, Paul Whittaker, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Mark to the Sky News team in this senior role, as we prepare for a bumper election year. We believe we have brought together a highly qualified editorial and programming team to lead our news and national affairs coverage in 2019.”
Calvert added: “There’s great energy and ambition at Sky News under Paul’s leadership, and I can’t wait to join him and the team. It’s going to be a huge year for news, and Sky News will be in the thick of it.”
Along with two stints at Nine, having previously been director of News between 2009 and 2012, Calvert has previously worked with in the UK as EP at BSkyB, director of New as Five and was the launch producer of channel Four’s breakfast show, RI:SE.
