BBC to slash 3,000 jobs, 520 editorial

Posted by John Burke on October 17, 2007 at 9:34 AM

Following an unwelcome trend in the media industry, the British Broadcasting Company has announced plans that could cost up to 2,800 employees their jobs. The unwelcome trend stems partially from the more omnipresent one, converged newsrooms.

Director General, Mark Thompson, told the Beeb's board that the public trust must shrink in size, but emphasizing a strategy that he labeled "fewer, bigger, better" - producing less content while maximizing impact across platforms.

It is approximated that 520 redundacies will be realized on the BBC's editorial side as its broadcasting, radio and Internet elements become further integrated. With the merging of newsrooms and editorial products, Thompson hopes to save 25% over five years.

The BBC's union complained that quality will decline and it is assumed they will organize a strike within the next two months.

Source: Guardian

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