BBC to axe news jobs, invest in digital delivery

BBC News is to cut 220 staff posts as part of a plan to restructure its operations and deliver savings of £48 million (€61 million) a year by 2016-17.

BBC news Group is cutting 415 staff while creating about195 new roles, leading to a net reduction in headcount of about 220, as part of the commitments made in its Delivering Quality First document.

The restructuring of the news group will lead to the creation of a 24/7 digital news operation to provide live digital news to all devices, according to the BBC. It will also see the completion of the integration of network news with the BBC World Service and local and regional newsrooms.

Under the proposals, the BBC’s newsroom and programmes department will be reorganised into three operations – 24/7 News, including TV new channels and BBC online, providing live and digital news; daily news programmes; and current affairs.

Newsroom production teams will be shared between the BBC News Channel and BBC World News. The BBC News Channel will move to a single presenter onscreen, and the World Service and radio newsrooms will be combined.

The programming department will see a reduction in the TV current affairs budget and closer working between current affairs and the daily Radio 4 news programmes, as well as changes to the production of flagship shows including Panorama and Newsnight.

Newsgathering will be reorganised, with the World Affairs Unit in London becoming a smaller, specialised hub, wit a single general reporting team and the loss of a number of correspondent and production jobs.

The World Service budget will be increased from £245 million this year to about £250 million by 2016-17, with the role of controller of the English language service being re-established. Global News Limited (GNL), which runs the commercial BBC World News channel and bbc.com/news, will make a number of savings.

The BBC intends to find £12 million from the savings to invest in digital platforms in the UK. The BBC will invest £8 million in creating additional specialist editors and correspondent roles, and appointing local political reporters and city correspondents. It will also invest £4 million in social and mobile news, data journalism, online analysis and an enhanced News Labs team. The World Service will invest £13 million in digital journalism and the development of further language TV services, over the next three years.