BBC News has announced a number of changes today:
This is what has been communicated internally:
There are three key principles that underpin our decision making: maximising the impact of our highest quality journalism across many platforms; streamlining our operations to duplicate less and work smarter; and investing to grow as we re-shape with the skills and roles we need to serve our audiences. Here is an overview of our proposals:
1. Reducing the overall amount of content we create
It’s relevant here to remind everyone that over two years ago the DG laid out a target for all BBC divisions to reduce content creation by 20 per cent. We are working towards that target and these measures will support our efforts:
• The commissioning team will empower editors to make earlier decisions so we waste less resource
• We will ensure that we resource stories where we know there is demand.
• This will be done by centralising control of London-based resourcing in Planning and Commissioning rather than where it currently sits in story teams
• We will be tougher on deciding what we do not cover and saying no to lower impact content
• We will also continue with existing initiatives to find new ways to tell stories and rely less on resource intensive TV packages
2. Making our On the Day newsdesk a single team
Under these proposals, the On The Day newsdesk will no longer be divided by Home and Foreign or Content and Live. We will move to a single, story-led structure and empower the desk to manage demand, reduce duplication, and prioritise live, digital and high impact journalism.
3. Expanding our live streaming operation
We will bring together the Live Streaming team with the News Channel breakout resources to build a single unit, dedicated to producing high quality streams available to all BBC News live outlets, seven days a week. This is a single solution that can work for many and will reduce demand on our newsdesks, story teams and colleagues on the ground. As we phase in this operation, we will work with all stakeholders to build this service.
4. Stopping some output and streamlining some production
Here we have had to make some hard decisions, informed by audience shifts, and how we now reach consumers on digital platforms with our high quality content.
• First, we will close the bespoke Asian Network News service and the station will instead take Newsbeat bulletins and commission a new locally made Current Affairs show.
• We will close HARDtalk as we focus on continuous live and breaking output on our News Channel, and do more to use and promote the high impact interviews and important conversations that are happening every day across our platforms.
• We will move production of the overnight programme on 5Live from News to the BBC’s Nations and Local teams.
• Domestic radio will take World Service summaries overnight.
• We will synchronise the production of Radio 5 Live and Radio 2 news bulletins to be more efficient.
5. Further developing our ‘follow the sun’ digital strategy
To deliver a better round the clock service we will increase the number of digital roles in time zones outside the UK, closing some roles in London and opening new positions in Sydney to enhance our morning offer.
Additional information/clarifications from internal communications:
- Expand the live streaming operation, joining the streaming team and UK breakout resources to create a single unit that produces streams for multiple outlets, from the Streaming Control Centre.
- Close Hardtalk and focus on continuous live and breaking output, and promoting other great interviews and journalism we already have.
- Move responsibility for making the Channel back half-hours to the News on iPlayer team,
- Permanently switch Singapore and Washington DC channel hours and close additional posts across the Channel.
- Introduce a ‘follow the sun’ model for our digital output, opening new roles in Sydney and ending the majority of London nightshifts.
- Close additional posts in Digital Output as we introduce more efficient ways of working.
- Changes to the News Labs and Delivery teams: these proposals will lead to 48 post closures and 11 new post openings across the department.
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