Veteran news anchor Dermot Murnaghan has quit ITN after 10 years and defected to the BBC to front its breakfast show.
He has been crowbarred out of his prestigious teatime slot on ITV by BBC chiefs who want to relaunch breakfast news.
Murnaghan's decision is a major blow to ITN, which has long considered him an heir to Sir Trevor McDonald's crown as the number one ITV anchor.
He will replace Jeremy Bowen who will leave BBC Breakfast News in the autumn to write a book and present a new TV series for the corporation called Moses, in the same vein as the Son of God historical series he fronted.
Sophie Raworth is expected to co-anchor alongside him until January when she is promoted on to the roster of presenters who front the Six O'Clock and Ten O'Clock News.
Sources have confirmed that Murnaghan has been approached to replace Bowen.
"He has indicated he wants to leave but the deal hasn't been formally done left. Dermot's wife recently had her fourth child and he just wants to spend more time with his children. He has four children under 10 and doing the breakfast slot is much more convenient for the family," said one source.
This would not be Murnaghan's first breakfast job - he made his name presenting the Channel 4 Daily - the station's first breakfast show and precursor to Chris Evan's Big Breakfast.
His departure will spark the battle for succession to replace Sir Trevor, 63, whose £2.5m contract expires in two years time.
Mary Nightingale and Katie Derham share pole position although ITV bosses may not rule out poaching from other channels.
The ITV man currently presents the channel's 6.30pm news with Nightingale and Derham.
The shake-up at the BBC was prompted by Michael Buerk's decision to quit the Ten O'Clock News by the end of the year after 14 years.
After sorting out the breakfast line-up BBC bosses will work their way through the lunchtime bulletin, Six and Ten O'Clock News, readjusting presenting roles.
The lunchtime bulletin is not expected to change - Anna Ford having just signed a new contract.
But Fiona Bruce, George Alagiah and Huw Edwards will battle it out for the plum job of presenting the Ten O'Clock News.
Edwards is the regular face of Britian's most watched news programme, the Six O'Clock News, where Bruce is a regular.
Alagiah fronts the 8pm world news on the digital channel BBC4 and both he and Bruce have occasionally fronted the Ten O'Clock News.