BBC unveiled plans to cut 70 jobs

The BBC has decided to merge their domestic and international channels. The decision of this merger will lead to cutting at least 70 jobs at their London headquarter. However, this will create at least 20 new jobs in Washington.

Merger of channels to save costs

BBC unveiled this plan during the last year as the news channel found it difficult to save millions of pounds. Therefore, it will launch a new broadcast channel which is set to launch in April 2023. Furthermore, they the broadcast will run from London during daytime and from Singapore and Washington DC during the rest of the day. Moreover, they will develop new flagship programs for international viewers. The merger plans will see a significant cut in number of presenters working for BBC News and BBC World channel.

According to BBC spokesperson, UK operations would see 70 job cuts. Therefore, the announcement of the 70 job cuts is a fresh blow to a department. It has lost many big names in recent months, including presenting beasts such as Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall. In addition, there are many names below-the-line.

Union’s stance

Broadcasting union Bectu Head Philippa Childs is blaming the UK government’s decision to freeze the BBC license fee for two years. “This hit hugely talented and dedicated people who work hard to deliver critical services to the nation and beyond. This is a very challenging and uncertain time for our members and we will continue to fully engage in these proposals to do everything we can to support them.” Philippa Childs said in her statement.

Plans to lay-off 1,000 jobs in coming years

The BBC news and current affairs operations have an annual budget of £314m. Recently, their objective is to increase savings as the government has stopped funding. Hence, they are focusing on significant cuts in coming years. Since September 2020, BBC has laid off more than 1,200 jobs. Furthermore, they are planning to slim down another 1,000 jobs in the next few years.

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