BBC Director General Tony Hall announced last week that the British broadcaster is expecting to cut more than 1,000 jobs in the wake of a 150 million pounds deficit in 2016–2017 as the result of more people watching TV online, according to The Guardian. There are currently 18,000 staff members working for the BBC.
“A simpler, leaner BBC is the right thing to do and it can also help us meet the financial challenges we face,” said Hall.
According to the report, cuts are expected to be made primarily by merging division and cutting layers of management. Senior management roles will be reduced across the board; professional and support areas, like marketing and communications, finance, HR, IT Support and legal, will be “simplified;” and technology teams across digital, engineering and worldwide will be merged. Proposed cuts are expected to save 50 million pounds, it said.
Staff consultations are expected to begin over the summer, with most jobs expected to be cut by the beginning of 2016.
“We’re facing a very testing time,” said Hall. “I haven’t chosen this path lightly or without a great deal of thought. I care greatly about this organization and the people in it. But I genuinely believe this is the right thing to do — at the right time.”
