King of the North

There's a gently swelling crescendo of interest in "King of the North" - the BBC's search for someone to give direct leadership to its planned move of departments to Media:City in Salford. The weekend papers claimed Simon Mayo has been lined up for the Ken Bruce slot on Radio 2, rather than following 5Live north. Steve Hewlett (visiting Professor of Broadcasting and Journalism at Salford University) gave it a prod on Monday with the KoN job spec, and assertion that first-round interviews were starting. Later Richard Deverell, who might have been thought to be a candidate, seemed to say it was daunting but an opportunity... And Richard Littlejohn has waded in, supporting Ken Bruce but demanding : "What private business, in the middle of a recession, would spend hundreds of millions of pounds moving part of its core business 200 miles north for no reason other than geographical correctness?"