Staff describe a 'drip, drip' of announcements

Staff say the way the BBC job cuts are being rolled out has itself become part of the problem. The corporation has chosen to tell each affected team as early as possible, working through the organisation department by department, and many accept the result is a “drip, drip” of announcements that has compounded the low morale at New Broadcasting House.

One insider said that while the corporation has its problems, it seemed to be creating new ones. Reacting to yet another internal announcement of further job losses, another figure said the “bloodletting” continues.

Gallows humour has gripped some staff: managers had to reprimand employees after an online call about the cuts last week was flooded with disapproving emojis. BBC Look North presenter Peter Levy joked last week after a weather presenter could be heard but not seen by viewers during an update.

One staffer warned of a “doom spiral” of weaker output and an increasing number of people unwilling to pay the licence fee, and said that while the challenge was real, letting the process play out over weeks was likely to make things worse rather than better anytime soon.

The scale of the savings programme

The BBC plans to shed as many as 2,000 staff in a drive to save £500m, a programme driven by cash revenues that have fallen sharply over the last year. The redundancies span the organisation, from:

• •the news division
• •local radio
• •the relatively new media tech division, where 110 compulsory redundancies will be made and 280 roles will close in total

Redundancy pay terms are also being reviewed. Matt Brittin, the BBC's director general, has said he was not fully aware of the pressures when he took the job.

BBC Three and BBC Scotland expected to go online-only

Closing the linear channels for BBC Three and BBC Scotland will be one of the hardest moments of the latest savings programme, and it is understood both channels are expected to become online-only as part of the bid to save money. Insiders said their viewing numbers could not justify keeping them on air. Brittin has made a series of comments suggesting the corporation has too many linear channels, when viewing habits have switched to catchup viewing on iPlayer.

News, local radio and children's television

The wider cuts reach into daily output:

• •a reduction in local news correspondents, with existing correspondents also taking on general reporting duties
• •local radio made more regional
• •children's television protected, with the BBC touting its children's programming as a high-quality antidote to online slop

Even so, staff in the children's division have been invited to come forward should they wish to take voluntary redundancy.

More internal meetings have been called for this week to discuss further details of the cuts. Some staff already fear further waves will follow soon after in the new year, having been told the cost savings are divided into “waves” and more could be coming next year.

Any future plans will be shaped by weekly talks between the BBC and the government over the corporation's future funding model, which could see the licence fee widened to include anyone who watches a streaming service. At present, only those who watch live television on any platform, or watch the iPlayer, have to pay the licence fee.