Anne MacKenzie

Anne MacKenzie
Born:	March 10, 1960 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. Scotland.
Occupation:	BBC Scotland anchor, political analyst and BBC Radio 4 presenter

Anne Erica Isobel MacKenzie (born March 10, 1960) is an award winning Scottish broadcast journalist and political analyst. She is currently the longest serving news presenter in Scotland, and is viewed as one of the most liked and respected presenters in her field. Image File history File links BBC_Anne_Mackenzie. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Stornoway may refer to: Stornoway, the major town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland; Stornoway, the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition in Canada; Stornoway, a television broadcasting and production company. ... Visit and Contribute to the Scottish Gaelic Wikipedia. ... Western Isles redirects here. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy (as part of the UK)  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP... BBC Scotland (BBC Alba in Gaelic) is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy (as part of the UK)  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP...

MacKenzie worked as a newscaster between 1981 and 1997. She worked for Grampian TV for fourteen years, before joining BBC Scotland in 1995. MacKenzie became a news and current affairs presenter in 1998 and has anchored several network programmes for the BBC. She also works as a presenter for BBC Radio 4 in London. A news anchor (US,Can. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Grampian Television logo, late 1990s. ... BBC Scotland (BBC Alba in Gaelic) is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest public broadcasting corporation in the world. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ...

Early Years

MacKenzie was born in Stornoway and grew up on the peninsula of Point, Outer Hebrides. Her mother Katie Ann, was a midwife, and her father Donald MacKenzie was a postmaster on the Isle of Lewis. She has one brother, Lewis MacKenzie. Stornoway may refer to: Stornoway, the major town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland; Stornoway, the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition in Canada; Stornoway, a television broadcasting and production company. ... Point (gaelic -An Rubha), is also known as the Eye Peninsula and is connected to the rest of the Isle of Lewis by a narrow isthmus, one mile in length and barely 100 metres wide. ...

A student of the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway, MacKenzie left for the mainland to study history at Glasgow University. She obtained a MA Honours and intended to become a teacher. She returned to the Isle of Lewis, where she met a producer for Grampian TV, (now stv north) , who was on holiday. He offered the blonde gael a screen test, and she embarked on a career as a journalist and broadcaster that has spanned twenty five years. Largest School in the Western Isles, Linked with a School in Pendleton, North Carolina (USA). ... Stornoway may refer to: Stornoway, the major town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland; Stornoway, the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition in Canada; Stornoway, a television broadcasting and production company. ... The University of Glasgow is the largest of the three universities in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Visit and Contribute to the Scottish Gaelic Wikipedia. ... Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland, based in Aberdeen. ... STV is the brand used by both ITV contractors in Northern and Central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian TV and Scottish TV respectively. ... Gael (Ancient people) : A Gael is a member of a distinct culture existing in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man whose language is one that is Gaelic. ...

Career

The Grampian Years

In 1981, she became a newscaster at the age of twenty. MacKenzie was Selina Scott's replacement at Grampian Television. She reported and co-hosted the regional TV station's news programme North Tonight for fourteen years. She also presented short bulletins, Grampian Headlines. Selina Scott (b. ... North Tonight is stvs nightly news programme covering the North of Scotland. ...

Throughout the eighties, North Tonight was replaced by Summer at Six during the summer months , which was a more informal lifestyle magazine with a brief news summary. MacKenzie was involved in the news output during this period.

MacKenzie hosted the political show Crossfire from the mid-eighties. She also presented several regional affairs shows, such as We The Jury and One Life To Live. She was involved in Grampian's coverage of the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster. Anne MacKenzie also fronted many North Tonight specials for the station. In 1987 she interviewed then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, from Grampian's Dundee studios. A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap, yay. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform operated by Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lady Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. ...

During her time at Grampian Television , MacKenzie was affectionately nicknamed 'the duchess' for being the top female at the television station. Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland, based in Aberdeen. ...

Switching channels

(Top left) MacKenzie on North Tonight 1991. (Top right) Presenting for Grampian during 1993 in Aberdeen (Bottom left) Fronting the newly launched Newsnight Scotland in 1999 (Bottom right) MacKenzie in a promotional shot for Newsnight Scotland in 2005.

MacKenzie was poached by the BBC in 1995. She presented her first edition of Scotland's national news programme, Reporting Scotland, on Wednesday December 6, 1995. She went on to host every Wednesday early evening broadcast. She also presented Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland three mornings a week. Image File history File links Anne_MacKenzie. ... Image File history File links Anne_MacKenzie. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... For other uses, see Aberdeen (disambiguation). ... Newsnight Scotland launch - 1999 Newsnight Scotland is a BBC television news programme which started in 1999. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest public broadcasting corporation in the world. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Reporting Scotland is the BBCs national television news service for Scotland. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

MacKenzie soon became a favourite, and her bosses offered her another night fronting the nightly broadcast. She was now at the helm every Tuesday and Wednesday night. MacKenzie continued her work with Radio Scotland and also fronted political shows, including Cross Examination. Anne MacKenzie was involved in BBC Scotland's coverage of the 1996 Dunblane Massacre. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Dunblane massacre was a multiple homicide which occurred at the primary school in the town of Dunblane, Scotland on 13 March 1996. ...

Later that year she reported for the BBC network current affairs show Here and Now, with Sue Lawley. Mackenzie also anchored several BBC Scotland current affairs programmes, fronting an economic debate programme called, Grasping the Thistle. Sue Lawley (born July 14, 1946) is a English broadcaster. ...

In October 1997, MacKenzie left Radio Scotland as part of schedule changes to Reporting Scotland. She would now host the programme with Jackie Bird on alternate nights, as part of a mini revamp of the broadcast. This was short lived, as she left the show two months later, in December 1997, to front London-based Westminster Live. Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jackie Bird is a Scottish newsreader & Presenter, currently the main co-presenter of Reporting Scotland, BBC Scotlands flagship news bulletin. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Mackenzie hosted Westminster Live from January 20, 1998 for six months, while Diana Madill was on maternity leave. She was also a regular stand in for David Frost on the Breakfast with Frost programme in 1998 (and again in 2000). January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... People called David Frost include: Sir David Frost, the British broadcaster David Frost, the South African golfer. ... Breakfast with Frost was a talk show hosted by Sir David Frost on the BBC on Sunday mornings. ...

Current work

On October 6, 1999, she was part of the launch team for Newsnight Scotland, BBC Scotland's late night news and current affairs programme, which was a response to the creation of the newly-devolved Scottish government. She is still a regular presenter on the programme today, and can usually be seen presenting the show every Thursday night. October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Newsnight Scotland launch - 1999 Newsnight Scotland is a BBC television news programme which started in 1999. ...

MacKenzie is involved in the station's political coverage during Westminster and Holyrood elections. She has reported for BBC Scotland in the 1997 and 2001 general elections and the 1999 and 2003 Scottish parliamentary elections. During the 2003 campaign, Anne MacKenzie interviewed all the Scottish party leaders and chaired The Big Debate for BBC Scotland.

On May 5, 2005, MacKenzie presented the UK election coverage for BBC Scotland from a 'Scottish perspective'. This was the first time BBC Scotland's Election Night programme was broadcast on BBC One Scotland. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC Scotland is home to Reporting Scotland, the daily news from Scotland, which shows on the BBC 1 network every day at 6. ...

Anne MacKenzie is also a presenter on BBC Radio 4 in London, where she presented The World Tonight, before moving to the Four Corners factual series. BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The World Tonight is a current affairs radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4, every weekday evening at 2200. ...

Formidable Interviewer

Many Scots see MacKenzie as a fierce interviewer. Indeed, Gavin Docherty of the Sunday Mail wrote in 1999: "She is best known for her confrontational interview style - and the politicians know there is always the chance she'll jump down their throat and dance all over their tonsils". The Sunday Mail is a Scottish tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. ...

Award winner

MacKenzie was recognised in 1995, with a BAFTA award. This was for her work for the North Tonight nightly broadcast. In 1999, she hosted the first ever Scottish Politician Of The Year Awards on stv. North Tonight is stvs nightly news programme covering the North of Scotland. ... STV is the brand used by both ITV contractors in Northern and Central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian TV and Scottish TV respectively. ...

She was recently voted among the Top 50 Most Powerful Scottish Women in a poll for the Scotsman newspaper.

Personal life

Anne MacKenzie married Neil McConnaghy in 1992 at an Aberdeen church. They have a son called Jack, who was born September 3, 1998. MacKenzie now lives in rural Aberdeenshire. She lists reading, music and gardening as her main hobbies. She is also a bit of a bargain hunter when it comes to antiques. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For other uses, see Aberdeen (disambiguation). ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Sources

• Secrets of My XS, Sunday Mail - December 6, 1998.
• Interview with Gavin Docherty, Sunday Mail - April 11, 1999.

External links

• Girlguide Scotland: Interview with Anne

• Radio 4 presenter profile [1]