BBC's first phase of integrating their news operation across media was completed on Monday with a common newsrooms in which journalists from the corporation's television news service started to work with their colleagues from radio and television news bulletins.

This move is due to a  "smaller than expected lisence fee settlement," according to Press Gazette journalist Martin Stabe, which made BBC want to "reduce duplication of its newsgathering operations."

"The number of roles has been reduced significantly because we've had to make these big savings," said BBC head of newsroom Peter Horrocks. "We've introduced some multimedia roles, but as people develop multimedia skills and once we've got all the platforms sitting alongside each other they can work together most effectively."

There is a a centralized "Media Wire" desk, which monitors audio and video feeds, then transfers stories to the most appropriate outlets, and there is also a centralized planning desk that controls assignments. There will also be a senior editor who will be the "multimedia editor," who will coordinate the different media and mediate conflicts. Each desk will also have a "web conversion producer," who will be responsible for extending stories that were originally produced for online platforms.

The next steps include integrating journalists from the BBC's international news channel, BBC World News, and those responsible for the text-based sections of the BBC News website.

In June, BBC Online journalists will join the converged newsroom, then the online news operation will split into two sections: one will cover world news and move to the second floor of the newsroom with the BBC World News television team, and the other will be the UK operation on the first floor, producing domestic radio and television bulletins.

Most journalists will "continue to work primarily in the media that they have traditionally worked," says Horrocks, "though over time, producers will increasingly work across television, radio and online as staff are put through a training program."

Source: Press Gazette through IFRA Executive News Service