1,000 jobs at risk as BBC cuts channels
The BBC will shut down channels as it looks to shift to an online streaming service as the culture secretary Nadine Dorries freezes the licence fee at £159 for the next two years.
Tim Davie, director general of the BBC has confirmed that CBBC, BBC Four, and Radio 4 Extra will all move to being online only services in the next three years and that a number of local BBC services will be cut as the broadcaster looks to grow its online offering noting that the organisation must reform to stay relevant.
The decision means that around 1,000 jobs will be lost over what the BBC described as “the next few years” in the public funded part of the organisation.
The changes which are expected to produce half a billion pounds of annual savings and reinvestments in order to make the BBC a digital led organisation. This includes £200m of cuts which will be delivered by “stopping things and running the organisation better” and £300m for investments which is created by “moving money around the organisation and delivering additional commercial income”.
BBC director-general Tim Davie
Exactly where the jobs will be lost is yet to be seen with local news production spend reportedly staying flat and just shifting focus to online. However, with CBBC forming part of the BBC’s Manchester-based Children’s and Education department there could be an impact at MediaCity, although there are no plans announced to shut its sister channel CBeebies.
This isn’t the first time Davie has announced plans to shut down services having targeting 6Music and Asian Network radio stations in 2010 before backing down following public outcry.
The director general added: “This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC. Something genuinely new, a Reithian organisation for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world.
“Independent, impartial, constantly innovating and serving all. A fresh, new, global digital media organisation which has never been seen before.
“To do that we need to evolve faster and embrace the huge shifts in the market around us.”
