The BBC is planning to overhaul its Newsnight program as part of an effort to reduce expenditure in the corporation’s news department. As part of the changes, Newsnight will no longer have dedicated reporters, will run for ten minutes less, and will focus on studio-based discussions instead of investigative films. The BBC News at One TV bulletin will be broadcast from Salford and will last an hour, while digital journalism will be given increased funding. The changes will be made in the context of a BBC-wide effort to find savings of up to £500m due to an inflationary impact and a two-year freeze to the price of the TV licence.
Newsnight currently employs over 60 people, over half of whom will lose their jobs as a result of the changes. BBC News and Current Affairs CEO, Deborah Turness, said that it was no longer sensible to have a single news programme with a small, declining audience, along with a bespoke reporting team. However, she added that Newsnight remained an important brand and would be reformed as a 30-minute, debate-focused programme, with access to top talent from across the corporation.
Plans for digital initiatives will be given £5m in funding, with more support for streaming and 24-hour online journalism, as well as a new unit that will “bring together the best investigative talent” and greater expansion of BBC Verify. Digital platforms would need to function as the primary platform for the BBC’s journalism, Turness claimed, while new roles would be created at the corporation covering artificial intelligence, employment and housing.
However, 20 jobs are likely to be created as part of the changes, which will occur while TV and radio continue to play important roles in the BBC’s news provision. Acting BBC Chair Dame Elan Closs Stephens said that the corporation needed “focus and determination” as it sought to save money
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