Today presenter Nick Robinson could be moved to Manchester
The former BBC political editor, from nearby Macclesfield, presents the flagship currents affairs show three times a week.
It has been reported that broadcast bosses want the experienced journalist to move his current role to the North West and present the Radio 4 programme from there.
The move would follow the BBC’s promise to include more voices from outside London, with a commitment to shift the majority of roles beyond the M25 within the decade.
It is reported that fellow presenters Mishal Husain, Martha Kearney and Justin Webb would remain in the capital.
Robinson is from the North West and is a keen supporter of Manchester United, and it thought the journalist would be open to the idea of a new base for Today.
"I'd be perfectly happy,” The Times reports the presenter saying. “I come from that part of the world. I still have family there. I still go to football there.
“I would not at all be surprised if in the future I did some broadcasting from there or other places outside London."
When pressed for further details on the move, Mr Robinson’s representatives declined to comment further on he may be asked to relocate from London.
The Today programme is currently broadcast from the BBCs headquarters in London, but the director-general last year announced that he wanted to see the corporation “distributed around the UK”.
Talk of the potential shake-up of the Today programme follows the news that daytime current affairs staple the Victoria Derbyshire show was being axed by the BBC.
More cuts are expected as the broadcaster prepares a major announcement this week. The corporation is seeking to meet £800 million efficiency savings, and it is believed that current affairs shows such as Today and Newsnight could feel the pinch.
There is precedent for a Manchester broadcast, with late host Brian Redhead steering the show from the North West studio during his time on Today. Concerns may remain over whether dispersing a presenting team across the country will affect the quality of the programme.
Rumours of radical change within the BBC follow the major statement by director-general Lord Hall of Birkenhead that he would be handing over leadership of the corporation.
Cost-saving measures by the BBC have seen Lord Hall criticised, particularly after the decision to scrap the licence fee for over-75s
