BBC News boss confirms job cuts will impact ‘all departments’
All departments at BBC News are expected to be affected by the company’s move to cut 2,000 jobs across its operations.
Employees have been warned to prepare for the “difficult task” of reducing costs “significantly”.
“I want to be clear; I expect the scale of this change to mean that all areas of BBC News will be affected in one way or another,” said Jonathan Munro, interim director general of BBC News and current affairs.
He noted that more details on achieving savings will be shared in June, and that these initial announcements will likely represent only a fraction of the changes needed.
Staff will also have the option to express interest in voluntary redundancy.
The uncertainty created visible anxiety among employees. One employee said: “Everyone is disappointed that we have to wait to find out exactly who will be affected; it feels like we’re in limbo right now.”
Meanwhile, employees have been instructed to limit spending on travel, conferences, events and awards, and to limit hiring to strictly essential roles.
The BBC announced on Wednesday that it plans to cut 2,000 jobs as part of a wider effort to cut costs by 10 percent over the next three years.
The news of job loss was leaked to the media without informing the staff, causing “concern” in the Publishing House.
Interim chief executive Rhodri Talfan Davis expressed his own dismay, addressing the leak in a meeting with all staff.
“They didn’t outline how and where these jobs would be cut and this caused a huge panic,” a staff member said after the call.
“One in 10 people will lose their job, which is too bad. That’s a touch The Hunger Games We called to be told that you would have to fight for your job or sacrifice someone.”
The cuts, which represent the biggest round of redundancies at the BBC for almost 15 years, are being implemented just weeks before former Google boss Matt Brittin takes on the role of director general in May.
The timing sparked speculation among staff, with one person commenting: “Feels like they’re being rushed ahead of the new regulation [director-general] “But it makes us all afraid of our jobs.”
The company has also recently outlined plans to shrink the team responsible for covering national events such as royal events and state funerals to a single staff member, largely supported by freelancers.
It was also revealed in January 2025 that the BBC World Service would cut 130 jobs as it plans to make savings of around £6 million for the next financial year.
