The BBC is set to cut its workforce by around one in 10 people.
The move, described as the broadcaster’s biggest downgrade in 15 years, is moving forward in a bid to address “significant financial pressures”. This means the elimination of between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs.
Staff were reportedly informed of the news on Wednesday afternoon at an all-staff meeting, with interim general manager Rhodri Talvan-Davies expected to confirm the redundancies. The news comes before former Google CEO Matt Brittain takes the reins of the top job in early May.
The BBC needs to save £500 million ($678 million) over the next two years, and Davies did not rule out axing entire channels or services. He told BBC Radio 4: “We need to look at everything and, on a £500m scale, there will inevitably be some big and difficult choices, but we need to approach this carefully.” View media Wednesday.
He acknowledged that the cuts would be “really tough news” for employees. An email sent to all staff from Davies said: “As you know, the BBC is facing significant financial pressures, which we need to respond to quickly. Simply put, the gap between our costs and our income is widening. This is due to a number of factors: production inflation remains very high; our license fees and commercial income are under pressure; and the global economy remains turbulent.”
The interim president suggested that cost-cutting plans would also require tighter controls on spending on recruiting, travel and management consulting, as well as attendance at conferences, awards and other events.
Philippa Childs, head of the BBC Pictou union, responded to the news that “cuts of this scale” would be “devastating for the workforce and for the BBC as a whole”.
Brittain, who takes over from Tim Davie after a series of editorial blunders – including Trump’s edited speech – will undoubtedly face further financial crises as the BBC attempts to undergo radical reform.
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