Huw Edwards says BBC staff are mourning 'end of an era' as Beeb merges UK and ... trends now
Huw Edwards has revealed BBC staff are mourning the 'end of an era' as the corporation is set to merge its domestic and world TV news channels on Monday.
The BBC News at Ten stalwart, 61, told MailOnline that Beeb staff were sad that the domestic channel was 'losing its distinct identity'.
The BBC is merging its domestic and world TV news channels to create a single 24-hour TV channel called BBC News.
Edwards told MailOnline: 'There's a real sense of the end of an era with experienced colleagues leaving and sadness that the news channel — a hugely successful platform for BBC News — [is] losing its distinct identity.
'But colleagues are also determined to try to make the new channel work for our licence payers.'
Huw Edwards (pictured) told MailOnline that BBC staff are mourning the 'end of an era' as the corporation is set to merge its domestic and world TV news channels on Monday
Pictured: Huw Edwards and the BBC News 24 team celebrating the 20th anniversary of the channel in 2018 with then-Director General Tony Hall (centre, cutting cake)
At a BBC leaving party on Friday, broadcaster Clive Myrie (pictured) told staff who were taking voluntary redundancies that those remaining would 'miss you all, no question'
Meanwhile, at a BBC leaving party on Friday, broadcaster Clive Myrie told staff who were taking voluntary redundancies that those remaining would 'miss you all, no question'.
The merger is part of cost-cutting measures the BBC said were needed to save an extra £285million after then-Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced last year that the licence fee would be frozen at £159 for two years.
On Saturday Edwards paid an emotional tribute to the BBC News 24 crew, which he called the 'best live news team in the business'.
He shared photos of the team and himself as a younger man in a tweet yesterday afternoon.
BBC presenter Martine Croxall (left, with Creative Diversity Lead Nina Goswami) thanked her audience and said it had been 'the greatest privilege to broadcast to you'
Familiar faces such as Hashi Mohamed (left) also made an appearance at the party. The merger will axe around 70 jobs
Edwards wrote: 'From day one of BBC News 24 onwards with 14 years of BBC News at Five along the way. The news channel team was the best live news team in the business.
'Thanks to everyone who contributed over the decades. It was a privilege.'
The merger will axe 70 jobs and comes after the corporation announced the end of BBC Four, Radio 4 Extra and CBBC as linear channels.
They are expected to move online to the iPlayer in the next few years as part of the broadcaster's plans to become 'digital first'.
Edwards shared photos of the team and himself as a younger man (pictured, aged 36 on the first day BBC News 24 was broadcast in 1997) in a tweet yesterday afternoon, before the new channel launches on Monday
The BBC's new channel, called BBC News, is set to be launched by the corporation on Monday
The new channel will be broadcast
