BBC axing another 130 jobs despite funding boost in October
BBC World Service is set to axe 130 jobs as it seeks to save around £6 million for the next financial year. Planned cost-saving measures include closing posts across the service in the UK and internationally as well as cutting roles in BBC Monitoring, a division which reports and analyses news from media around the world. The corporation has been under financial pressure amid rising inflation and the previous two-year freeze in the licence fee, and has projected its total deficit will increase to £492 million for the 2024/25 financial year.
The cuts come after the BBC World Service was given a funding boost as part of the autumn Budget to protect the corporation's existing foreign language services. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced as part of the Budget in October that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) settlement for the next financial year 'provides an increase in funding to the BBC World Service, protecting existing foreign language service provision and its mission to deliver globally trusted media, in support of the UK's global presence and soft power'.
The BBC World Service, owned and operated by the corporation, is predominantly funded by the UK licence fee and has received a grant of £104.4 million from the FCDO in previous years. The corporation welcomed the increase in the grant, but said 'previous freezes on the licence fee, global inflation, and the need for ongoing digital and technological upkeep have meant savings are necessary'.
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It added that the service is 'operating in a highly competitive global media environment' which has 'international news providers investing billions in state-backed media that sees increased competition for staff, platforms and frequencies, and audiences'. Despite the cuts, it said it will continue to provide journalistic coverage across its 42 language services.
The broadcaster will also 'continue to counter disinformation, provide emergency services in times of crisis and report from all corners of the globe'. The World Service language teams are set to be reshaped to focus their attention on the BBC's digital-first drive, and there will be changes to the commissioning on World Service English.
Global director and deputy chief executive of BBC News Jonathan Munro said: 'While the result of the latest grant-in-aid funding settlement means we are able to maintain all of our existing language services, we were clear it would not stave off difficult decisions in order to remain globally competitive and meet our savings requirements.
'These changes will ensure we operate effectively with the resource we have, creating the most impact for audiences internationally.'
In October, ahead of the Budget, the BBC revealed a raft of cost-saving plans, including the axing of in-depth interview show HARDtalk and reducing more than 100 news roles at the broadcaster. HARDtalk, which is broadcast from Monday to Thursday, is set to shut in March 2025 after nearly three decades on air.
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