Naga Munchetty is set for rise on her £195,000-a-year BBC salary as she takes over from Emma Barnett on Radio 5 Live
- The BBC Breakfast presenter, 45, will front the show from 10am until 1pm
- She will present Monday to Wednesday after a stint on the station over summer
- Emma Barnett, 35, is leaving to become the main presenter of Woman’s Hour
Naga Munchetty is set for rise on her £195,000-a-year BBC salary as she takes over from Emma Barnett on Radio 5 Live
The BBC Breakfast presenter, 45, will front the show from 10am until 1pm, after a stint guest presenting on the station over the summer.
She will continue to appear on BBC Breakfast alongside her radio work and has said she is ‘absolutely thrilled to be joining the 5 Live team’.
Naga Munchetty, 45, (pictured) will front the mid-morning programme on BBC Radio 5 Live from 10am until 1pm from Monday to Wednesday
The journalist, who joined the BBC in 2008 and became a lead presenter on BBC Breakfast in 2014, will present Monday to Wednesday.
It is not known how much her salary is expected to be with the new job.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Her pay will be disclosed in the normal way all BBC talent pay is disclosed.’
She said: ‘I have always wanted to work more in radio and after such an enjoyable experience presenting on the station recently, I jumped at this opportunity.
‘Five Live has one of the most passionate, engaged audiences in radio. The prospect of talking to those listeners every week really excites me.
‘I can’t wait to get stuck into the role from January.’
She is taking over from Emma Barnett, 35, (pictured) who is leaving the role to become the main presenter of Woman’s Hour
Heidi Dawson, controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, said: ‘Naga is a brilliant broadcaster and a fearless journalist, making her the perfect fit for our mid-morning programme.
‘She impressed us while working briefly at the station in the summer, when our listeners loved her warmth, wit and straight-talking interview style.
‘I can’t wait to hear her interviewing the biggest names in news and telling stories from around the UK that you won’t hear anywhere else.’
It comes after Emma Barnett, 35, is leaving the role to become the main presenter of Woman’s Hour.
Naga Munchetty (pictured with co-host Charlie Stayt) will continue to appear on BBC Breakfast alongside her radio work
This follows the departure of long-standing hosts Jane Garvey and Dame Jenni Murray.
Munchetty was rebuked by the BBC last year after commenting on US President Donald Trump’s call for a group of female Democrats to ‘go back’ to their own countries.
The corporation initially ruled that the presenter had breached editorial guidelines before then director-general Lord Tony Hall reversed the decision.
Last month she was rapped by BBC bosses after appearing in a business interview series for NatWest.
She hosted webinars for the banking giant weeks after she was rebuked for fronting a paid corporate video for car maker Aston Martin.