The Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN) is set to lose its main news anchor person on both radio and television.

Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that Leslie-ann Johnson is being lured by a good financial package that was offered to her by the state-run Government Information Service (GIS).

A source who preferred to remain anonymous said that Johnson is due to assume duties from the beginning of next month. He said the deal should be concluded shortly and that the package being asked for by Johnson is now being studied by Press Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Barbadian Barry Collymore.

Johnson is said to have been job-hunting in the past few months out of a desire to leave GBN. She is known to have applied for the post of Public Relations Officer (PRO) with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) but was unsuccessful.

According to the source, the Keith Mitchell-led New National Party (NNP) government is trying to lure most of the leading news people on the island in order to help improve the administration’s public image. He said the luring of Johnson would result in GIS having the most highly paid news people on the island.

Several of its new recruits including the highly paid Sherma Wells receive their salaries from the controversial 340 Live Vote in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Johnson is believed to be asking for a sum between $4000-$6000 a month to take up the job with GIS. Opponents of the Mitchell government have been calling on the administration to streamline Vote 340 in most ministries in order to cut back on wastage in the public service.

These critics have accused the regime of using Vote 340 to pay most of its political activists.