BBC America Launches Weekly Version of Newsnight

BBC America will air a weekly version of popular BBC interview program Newsnight.

The one-hour show will be culled from that week's Newsnight interviews for a "best-of" installment and will air Fridays at 10 p.m. (EST) on BBC America and repeat on global signal BBC World.

Michele Grant, executive vice president of BBC News & Sports, will oversee the program.

"News is the BBC's most powerful asset, and we want to give it the showcase it deserves," said Garth Ancier, president of BBC Worldwide America.

In October, BBC America launched nightly one-hour newscast BBC World News America anchored by British journalist Matt Frei. BBC World News America airs at 7 p.m. out of the BBC's Washington, D.C., studios.

On Thursday, Frei will have an interview with President Bush -- the first interview the BBC has had with an American president in several years, underscoring its focus on stateside news while also playing to a global audience.