Anna Foster, a regular presenter on 5 live, has been confirmed as the new permanent co-presenter working alongside Peter Allen on the station’s flagship evening news round-up, ‘Drive’, which broadcasts Monday to Friday from 4pm to 7pm.
She has recently been co-presenting the programme three days a week, alternating with her colleague Louise Minchin.
Foster will move to the full time role in May.
The decision to appoint Foster follows Drive’s previous co-host’s – Aasmah Mir – decision to leave the station last November when her contract ended.
Mir is based in London and her departure at the time was widely reported as the first ‘big-name exit’ following the station’s move to Salford.
Mir now has several new roles including work for Radio 4, her own curry club operation broadcast via YouTube and has regular stints on ITV’s ‘Lorraine’, ‘Daybreak’ and also Sky News.
During her final shift in Salford in November, she openly wept on-air admitting afterwards: “It’s a strange thing because it’s only a job and you shouldn’t get emotional but we’re all human.
“They played a tape for me on-air and I was fine until I heard my dad’s voice on it.
“That’s when I went and the tears started.”
Foster, from South Shields in Tyne and Wear, has worked across BBC Radio for the last decade as a presenter and reporter.
She has broadcast from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as covering major stories across the UK – from the Cumbrian shootings and search for Raoul Moat to the London Marathon and Olympic Torch Relay. Last summer she co-anchored BBC Radio 5 live Olympics Extra, a dedicated digital station for the London 2012 games.
She has also been a regular co-host of Weekend Breakfast alongside Phil Williams.
Speaking about her new role, Foster said: “Drive is simply a fantastic news programme, and well-known for its outstanding journalism. I’m delighted to be joining the team and working alongside one of the country’s great broadcasters in Peter.”
