The BBC’s news unit is expected to cut around 75 more jobs in another round of cost-saving layoffs, according to The Guardian. The cuts will primarily be in the English regions, and is part of a £700 million cost-saving initiative called “Delivering Quality First.”
The cost reductions were announced in 2011, and sought to reduce the BBC News headcount by around 600 staff by fiscal year 2017. of course, headcount reductions can also come from not hiring for open positions.
James Harding, the new BBC director of news and current affairs, announced the redundancies on Thursday in a move he conceded would “add to uncertainty after what has been a trying year”.
In a memo to staff, Harding said: “I also appreciate the concern that cost savings come at a time that so many people are working hard to make the most of new technologies and striving to deliver the best journalism in the world. The reality is that we have to live within the terms of the licence fee settlement, requiring us to deliver more for less.”