Management said the job cuts break down across the corporation and only a small number relate to currently vacant positions. Of 360 posts to be cut, 120 are from Future Media & Technology, up to 90 from BBC Vision, up to 39 from Audio & Music, 17 from Children's, 24 from Sport and 70 in journalism from national news and non-news posts on regional news sites. The corporation also outlined five editorial priorities for BBC Online and clarified its remit. The BBC aims to meet all these objectives, and make 360 posts redundant, by 2013. The restructured BBC Online department will consist of 10 products including News, iPlayer, CBeebies and Search. Editorial will be refined, with fewer News blogs, and local sites will be stripped of non-news content.
In another Guardian article they break down the changes in more detail...
• The closure of half of the 400 top-level domains (with 180 closing ahead of schedule later this year)
• The replacement of the majority of programme websites with automated content
• The automation of bespoke digital radio sites 1Xtra, 5 Live Sports Extra, 6 Music and Radio 7
• The closure of RAW, Blast, Switch, Video Nation and the disposal of h2g2
• The removal of non-News features content from Local sites
• A substantial reduction in show business news on the News website
• Fewer News blogs, with more focus on the updates from leading editors and correspondents
• A reduction in the overall amount of Sports news and live sport
• Standalone forums, communities and message boards and blogs to be reduced and replaced with integrated social tools
• The closure of the 606 community site and the closure of the BBC iPlayer message board
BBC Online will not:
• Launch its own social network
• Offer specialist news content for specialist audiences
• Publish local listings
• Develop encyclopaedic propositions in Knowledge
• Provide continuing professional development materials for teachers or a managed learning environment for schools
• Become a video-on-demand aggregator in BBC iPlayer, although it will link to other on-demand providers
• Produce online-only music sessions
• Offer track-by-track music streaming
• Invest in exclusive online sports rights
The BBC Online service licence budget will be reduced by £34m from £137m today to £103m by 2013/14.
Clearly this has as much to do with pressure being bought to bear on the BBC to reduce the size of its we site so as not to compete as much with commercial rivals, as it does with the need for the BBC to reduce its costs as a result of the recent license fee settlement.
How-Do has also reported this story and asked about the impact of these cuts on Media City...
a division-wide reduction of staff and budgets by 25% is expected to be felt as much in Salford as it will be in London. At the time of writing the BBC had been unable to provide How-Do with tailored information as to the regional ramifications of the cuts.
BECTU have reacted swiftly saying they will be on hand to support staff with on line changes.
"Staff in BBC Online need to join BECTU in large numbers to demonstrate just how serious they are about representation during the talks announced today,” said supervisory official, Helen Ryan.
The top line headcount reduction of 360 posts actually impacts on approximately 200 staff given a number of unfilled vacancies and the deployment of short term and contract staff. “Whilst we expect the BBC to respond positively to our concerns that absolutely every effort should be made to avoid compulsory redundancies, the fact that several departments are affected, and to different degrees, means that staff will need to work with their union to get the best outcomes from this reorganisation,” Helen Ryan concluded.
It is good to see the union on the case and lets hope they are able to help staff through this difficult transition.
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