John Hess (journalist)

John Hess (born 12 March 1955 in Solihull) is a British journalist and broadcaster who is primarily based in the East Midlands.

Early life

He attended Solihull School. At school, in a December 1972 play, he portrayed Robert Faulconbridge in King John (play).

Career

He started his career on evening newspapers in Coventry and Birmingham. The general election he first covered was that in February 1974.

BBC

His first job for the BBC was at Radio Nottingham.

He was a political journalist for Midlands based in Birmingham. He worked on The Midlands at Westminster on BBC2.

He became the Political Editor for the BBC's East Midlands Today in 1997. He presented the East Midlands segment for The Politics Show, in co-operation with Marie Ashby (née Stevenson). There were 45 MPs in the region that he covered. He was based at the BBC Centre on London Road (A60) in Nottingham. He retired from East Midlands Today in 2015.

Political career

In June 2023 Hess announced he was running to be the Labour candidate for 2024 East Midlands mayoral election, however he was unsuccessful.

Personal life

He was married in Solihull in 1982.

References

External links

• BBC East Midlands blog
• View from the Trent - former blog
• Biography
• Older profile at BBC East Midlands
• Twitter
• Politics Show in the East Midlands
• BBC College of Journalism in 2010
• Parliamentary Press Gallery