1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC‘s interim head wide has said he is “incredibly frustrated” aft news of 2,000 layoffs was leaked to nan media earlier being communicated to staff.
Rhodri Talfan Davies told labor connected Wednesday that nan property briefings had “undermined” his plans to pass nan BBC’s £500M ($678M) savings strategy.
Many BBC labor were outraged by nan leaks, venting their concerns successful written questions during an all-staff telephone connected Wednesday, erstwhile Talfan Davies group retired nan occupation cuts.
One insider pointed retired that BBC News was reporting connected nan redundancy proposals earlier BBC labor had really been informed internally, according to messages seen by Deadline.
“It has a bad effect connected unit to beryllium that debased successful nan elder guidance priorities,” this personification said. Another insider told Deadline: “Everyone is perfectly fuming.”
Responding to nan anger, Talfan Davies told employees: “It is not correct that accusation that is shared confidentially is past fixed retired to news organizations. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
In audio from nan all-staff meeting, obtained by Deadline, he added: “If you are briefing colleagues, and 1 workfellow decides that they want to usage nan powerfulness of that accusation to stock it pinch a journalist, I don’t cognize what you tin do.
“It’s 1 of nan frustrations I person pinch nan BBC. We stock accusation successful assurance for a reason, not because we want to hoard it, but because we want nan correct group to perceive it astatine nan correct time, and perceive it first from their leaders. And these sorts of leaks undermine that.”
He said betwixt 1,800 and 2,000 roles will spell complete nan adjacent 2 years, pinch much specifications to travel from September, meaning unit look an anxious hold to find retired wherever nan axe will fall. The BBC will unfastened a voluntary redundancy scheme, but compulsory layoffs are likely, Talfan Davies told staff.
The BBC besides said it was implementing “immediate costs power measures” successful areas including recruitment, recreation and consultancy spend, and costs associated pinch awards and events.
In a schematic displayed during nan soul call, nan BBC said it would beryllium “recruiting only for basal roles pinch robust approvals,” meaning a quasi-hiring frost is now successful place.
It comes aft nan BBC announced successful February that it planned to slash its costs guidelines by £500M complete nan adjacent 3 years, expanding connected an existing target worthy £1.5B.
