Struggling channel GB News hires Nigel Farage to host show

LONDON – GB News, a British information channel that released last month as a proper-leaning alternative to the BBC and Sky News, reported Saturday it has recruited populist politician Nigel Farage as a presenter.

The channel mentioned the former leader of the professional-Brexit U.K. Independence Get together will host an night display airing Mondays to Thursdays.

GB Information has had a rocky start it started broadcasting in mid-June with a roster of hosts that involved newspaper and Tv information veteran Andrew Neil and broadcasters recruited from the BBC, Sky and ITV. It promised to provide an choice to an alleged “metropolitan elite” bias among the recognized news channels, but denied it would be a British equivalent of Fox News.

British broadcasting guidelines need information channels to be precise and impartial in their protection.

Employing the superior-profile but divisive Farage, who spent many years stoking worries about immigration and later grew to become Britain’s most popular supporter of Donald Trump, could be a sign the channel plans to put a lot more emphasis on suitable-wing politics and “culture war” concerns.

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When GB News launched in June, Neil, who is the channel’s chairman as perfectly as a presenter, said it would “expose the developing promotion of cancel culture” and give a voice “to individuals who sense sidelined or silenced.”

But its commitment to no cost speech was questioned soon after it censured one particular of its presenters, Guto Harri, for taking a knee this week during an on-air discussion of the anti-racism gesture adopted by England’s national soccer group. His gesture drew an overwhelmingly destructive response from viewers.

On Friday GB Information explained it did “not have a organization line on having the knee” but that Harri accomplishing so on air “was an unacceptable breach of our specifications.”

Harri has not appeared on air considering that the incident on Tuesday. British newspapers described that the channel’s head of information, John McAndrew, had quit. McAndrew could not straight away be reached for comment.

The channel, which has been backed by New York-primarily based Discovery and British investor Paul Marshall, between other people, has also expert teething problems these kinds of as specialized glitches and viewed its ratings drop.

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Neil, who has taken a split immediately after two weeks internet hosting a day by day present, explained GB News was “finding its ft.”

“Start ups are fraught and fractious,” he tweeted Friday. “@GBNEWS is no exception. But the information channel is discovering its feet and has a terrific potential. Watch this room.”