Broadcast journalists and senior management roles will be cut as part of an extensive management restructure within the BBC’s Global News division, reports Journalism.co.uk. Addressing Global News staff today, department director Peter Horrocks said four new roles will be created within Global News, which is responsible for the BBC’s World Service output. The new posts will include: a controller of digital and technology; a controller of languages, who will bring together all language services; and a business director, who will act as managing director for World News and oversee the division’s commercial operations.
A controller of English, who will be responsible for commissioning English-language content across all platforms, will also be appointed. Commissioning for different platforms is currently handled by separate roles. Each of the new managers will look at their areas to achieve the level of cuts demanded by the BBC Trust, said Horrocks, who said it was likely that 40 per cent of any cuts made would be at managerial level and 5 per cent with broadcast journalism staff.
The corporation is looking to save £600,000 by changing senior management roles, he added. Former director of Global News Richard Sambrook announced his departure in November and today Horrocks announced that controller of Future Media, Technology & Distribution Mike Cronk and director of governance Hugh Saxby will leave.
Further restructuring of the Global News division will see control of the existing World Service Future Media team transfer to the BBC’s central Future Media and Technology division. Mr Horrocks said the aim of the changes would be to decrease duplication of content and working procedures within Global News and create more chances for journalists and staff “to simply get on with their jobs”.
Staff will be “expected to share content even more”, added Horrocks, who praised the BBC’s current work on its SuperPower season, a multimedia project running across the BBC’s TV, radio and web outlets and partnering with external groups such as Global Voices.
(Source: journalism.co.uk)
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 15:33
The BBC World Service radio site is becoming an island within the BBC global offering, partly because of the funding firewalls. That is a shame because there is some good material there which does not seem to be in the main BBC indexes. So the point about duplication is true - WS should not try to fight it but get on with making unique content for a globally aware audience living in the UK as well as overseas. They do bring a different context to stories which is refreshing.