Sky News recruits Samantha Maiden as rumours have David Speers bound for ABC 7:30

Sky News is set to bolster its political coverage in 2017 with confirmation it has recruited highly regarded journalist Samantha Maiden, who will be joining the Sky Canberra bureau in 2017.

The Australian is reporting today Maiden will soon depart her role writing for News Corps Sunday newspapers to move fulltime into the TV role.

Having worked in Canberra for the last 18 years, Maiden has more recently proven herself as a versatile electronic media performer, having made regular guest appearances on radio and TV including TEN’s The Project.

Sky News has also recruited A Current Affair reporter/producer Caroline Marcus to present a new show on the channel next year, and is in talks with ABC Business host Ticky Fullerton about the possibility of her joining Sky’s Business channel.

Potentially there could be more changes at Sky News with The Australian reporting staff from the ABC have held informal discussions with David Speers and Kieran Gilbert regarding the possibility of one of them switching to the public broadcaster to take on the role of Political Editor at 7:30

7:30 has been seeking a new political editor to fill the void after Sabre Lane announced she was moving on to host radio program AM.

The high-profile role on 7:30 was recently advertised online with a base pay offering of $125K – $142K + 15.4% super, however this could be higher depending on the experience of the successful candidate.

Negotiations are continuing regarding the ownership of Sky News. The channel is currently owned by a partnership between Seven, Nine and Sky UK, however News Corp Australia is keen to take a controlling stake in the channel believing video news is key to boosting its existing website.