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BBC job cuts: 450 posts to be axed across newsroom, corporation confirms

The broadcaster faces another pay gap controversy: AFP/Getty Images
The broadcaster faces another pay gap controversy: AFP/Getty Images

A total of 450 jobs are set to be axed under a major cost-cutting cull in the BBC’s newsroom, it was announced today.​

Newsnight, 5Live and the Victoria Derbyshire programme are among the flagship parts of the operation that will be affected by the swingeing cuts.

Announcing the decision on Wednesday, the BBC said it wanted to "reduce duplication" across its output while making major savings, with an estimated 450 job losses expected.

There will also be a review of "the number of presenters we have and how they work", it added.

BBC News has to save £80m by 2022 as part of financial pressures on the corporation, including paying for free TV licences for over-75s on pension credit.

As part of the changes, there will be several posts cut on Newsnight, which recently made headlines with its interview with the Duke of York over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

There will also be a reduction in the number of films produced by the programme, with the budget cut for its investigative journalism.

An unspecified number of positions will be axed at 5Live, which the BBC said was "driven by the changing listening habits of the audience and demand for digital content".

The changes mean there will be "a reduction in the overall number of stories covered" and "there will be further investment in digital news".

In addition, World Update on World Service English will be closed and the Victoria Derbyshire programme will also be axed - as was leaked last week. The BBC presenter said at the time that she was "absolutely devastated" to learn that her BBC Two programme was being cancelled.

After the news was announced, BBC Essex political reporter Charlotte Rose retweeted Sky News' Nick Stylianou's tweet on the announcement, saying: "RTing my colleague at Sky here - because its not like we get to know ahead of everyone else".

Presenter Anna Collinson, who worked on 5Live and the Victoria Derbyshire programme, also released a statement on Twitter, calling the decision to axe the show "gutting".

She wrote: "The BBC is constantly criticised for failing underserved audiences. The same audiences we were proud to serve and served well."

Health, Science and Environment reporter Laura Foster also shared the news joking: "In case you're having trouble getting hold of anyone at BBC News this lunchtime..."

Fran Unsworth, director of news and current affairs, said the decision was made because the BBC must "face up to the changing way audiences are using us".

"We have to adapt and ensure we continue to be the world's most trusted news organisation, but, crucially, one which is also relevant for the people we are not currently reaching," she said.

"We need to reshape BBC News for the next decade in a way which saves substantial amounts of money. We are spending too much of our resources on traditional linear broadcasting and not enough on digital.

"Our duty as a publicly-funded broadcaster is to inform, educate and entertain every citizen. But there are many people in this country that we are not serving well enough.

"I believe that we have a vital role to play locally, nationally and internationally. In fact, we are fundamental to contributing to a healthy democracy in the UK and around the world. If we adapt, we can continue to be the most important news organisation in the world."

However, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) general secretary Michelle Stanistreet described the BBC cuts as "damaging".

Ms Stanistreet said in a statement: "These damaging cuts are part of an existential threat to the BBC and a direct consequence of the last disastrous, secret licence fee deal the BBC agreed with the government. This is before the impact of taking over responsibility for the over-75s licences kicks in.

"Against this backdrop, the BBC's very existence is being threatened with public service broadcasting under unprecedented threat.

"If the government goes ahead and decriminalises non-payment of the licence fee, we know the impact will be further losses for the BBC of around £200 million a year and increased collection costs of £45 million.

"Such a politically-motivated move - dressed up as concern for the mythical imprisonment of vulnerable members of society - will serve to undermine one of the UK's strongest success stories, emasculating a brand renowned and respected across the globe."

Conservative MP Damian Collins, who is standing for re-election as chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, also: "There will be concerns about proposed BBC news cuts.

"They should explain how it'll impact the BBC's ability to reach people."

The cuts come amid payouts to some female staff, with radio presenter Sarah Montague getting a £400,000 settlement and Samira Ahmed winning an employment tribunal in a dispute over equal pay.

A BBC World Service employee later said that any cuts at the corporation should be to management roles.

The employee, who did not want to be named, said: “They have always found the cuts [in programming] and never at a managerial level.”

He added that the BBC’s journalism is “all moving to digital” because traditional broadcasting formats are “declining in popularity”.

“The BBC will continue to lose shares of the audience,” he said.

Gary Lineker, one of the BBC's highest-paid presenters, called for the broadcaster's licence fee to be made voluntary on Tuesday.

His comments came amid an ongoing debate on the future of the £154.50 charge, more than six months after the corporation announced plans to scrap free licence fees for the over-75s.

The Match of the Day host, who scooped a whopping £1.75million in earnings from the BBC between 2018-19, said the annual charge presented a “fundamental problem.”

“You’re forced to pay it if you want a TV, and therefore it’s a tax,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. “The public pay our salaries, so everyone is a target.”

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