BBC to axe about 60 jobs across Scotland
● Corporation to make savings of £6.2m ● Decision comes after redundancy plea
About 60 employees are to be cut at BBC Scotland as the corporation revealed it has to make savings of £6.2 million over this financial year.
Director Donalda Mackinnon told staff while various efficiencies had already been identified, the broadcaster will have to reduce the number of employees it has in Scotland.
The decision comes after BBC director general Tony Hall last week announced a call for voluntary redundancies across the whole of the BBC.
While the broadcaster hopes it can reduce staffing this way, compulsory redundancies have not been ruled out.
The BBC said the licence fee freeze means £800m has to be found over the first five years of its existing charter period.
A further £125m of savings are being targeted after falls in licence fee collection and commercial income due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Divisions of the BBC are now implementing fresh savings plans. BBC Scotland has to cut its budget by £6.2m over the period to the end of March next year as its contribution to the increased savings challenge facing the corporation.
Ms Mackinnon said: “BBC Scotland has been fortunate to attract significant investment in the last few years, securing a new TV channel, increased network programming and the establishment of a design and engineering hub.
“That meant we were able to create an additional 250 jobs, but we aren’t immune to the new financial challenges now facing many businesses up and down the country.
“Sadly, that means that along with cost cutting measures throughout our departments, we estimate we will also have to lose around 60 posts to make the savings required.”
The corporation is looking for redundancies over the next six weeks, with staff affected due to hear where posts will close following that process.
Independent daily figures compiled by the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (Barb) and seen by The Scotsman showed BBC Scotland flagship programe news Reporting Scotland was watched by 539,000 viewers – a 35 per cent audience share – on Monday night. Rivals STV’S News at Six was watched by 577,000 (37 per cent share).
Meanwhile the much-vaunted The Nine on BBC Scotland, in the later evening news slot, attracted just 17,000, although viewership is said to have been often as low as 3,000 in recent months. A TV insider said: “Those figures are pretty representative of how things have been recently. For The Nine to get 17,000 is actually quite good. They have been as low as 3,000.”
The BBC job cuts are not limited to Scotland.
Innorthernireland,between 30 and 40 posts are expected to be axed, including via voluntary redundancies, to save £3.6m by the same date.
BBC Cymru Wales is expected to cut 60 staff, about 6 per cent of its workforce, by spring 2021, to make savings of £4.5m. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC said it would cut around 450 jobs – from services including Newsnight and 5Live – in an attempt to “modernise its newsroom”.
However, this was paused to keep a continuous news service on air amid the outbreak.
National Union of Journalists general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “The BBC is at a pivotal point in its history. Already faced with achieving cuts of £800m, the additional Covid-19 funding gap of £125m will lead to swingeing cuts to jobs, programming and services.”