Experience

The sheer numbers involved in the dash for the exit at the BBC makes it tricky and invidious to pick up on some not others. 

However, let's mention Mark Mardell (Epsom College and BA Politics Kent). He had a radio career before the BBC - at Radio Tees (one of the highlights of the job was reading out the fat cattle prices on the station's 'News of the Moos' feature), Radio Aire and Independent Radio News. At IRN he made his mark with fast-moving reporting of the miners' strike - and he joined the BBC in 1989. 

31 years with Auntie will end with this Sunday's World This Weekend on Radio 4 - it's a crying shame that he can't get a break to report on the outcome of the US Presidential Election the following weekend, but presumably that would threaten his deal. 

Let's also mention Rikki Singh (Exhall Grange and Nottingham University) who joined the BBC on paid work experience back in 1990. His largely indomitable good humour from a wheelchair has had more influence on BBC coverage of disability than any other single person I've met. 

He's worked on planning in radio and tv news, Breakfast News and 5Live, and moved with BBC Sport from London to Salford. He worked on the Olympic Games in Sydney and Athens, produced many an edition of Inside Edge, and found time to chair GB Disability Target Shooting. And was usually the last on the party dancefloor, sparks flying from his wheelchair.