The Evening News' British Invasion

Jim Lehrer, prepare to Frei! Sean McCormick / BBC Worldwide

In 2006, the anchor of the moment was Katie Couric. By early 2007, it was Charles Gibson. But this fall, it's time to make room for... Matt Frei!

Who? The BBC's Frei is the newly announced presenter--sorry, anchor--of BBC World News America, BBC America's newly planned American 7 p.m. newscast, which launches October 1. From today's announcement:

One of the BBC’s most highly experienced and respected correspondents, Matt Frei has reported on major events from news hot spots around the globe, and for the past five years, been the BBC’s lead TV correspondent in the United States. He will anchor the newscast from the BBC’s Washington DC Bureau where, each evening, the program will deliver in-depth reports on the major international and U.S. news of the day. Special packages from the BBC’s expert correspondents will go beyond the headlines to provide context and analysis on the national and international events that shape our increasingly complex world. And from the DC studio, Matt will interview newsmakers of the day and lead roundtable discussions featuring expert opinion from commentators and major players.

OK, it's fair to say they're not quaking in their boots at 30 Rockefeller Plaza right now, but I'll at least check this programme--sorry, program--out. Regular readers know that, like most of you who were born after the Civil War, I do not have a network evening news habit. I do listen to the BBC World Service's radio news in the mornings sometimes, because, you know, I'm a total communist and I hate America. I also Tivo the PBS NewsHour, for those occasional nights that I want to catch one of their long interview segments. (Not often, admittedly.) So the BBC America newscast could be a threat to PBS, at least in my household. Should Jim Lehrer be nervous?