The BBC has announced its latest round of job cuts, involving a net reduction of 130 roles across news and current affairs departments, as part of a wider cost-cutting drive.
The chief executive of BBC News, Deborah Turness, announced the changes in an email on Tuesday, saying the corporation sought to cut 185 roles and open 55 new ones with the aim of saving £24m, amounting to 4% of the current news budget.
The BBC’s long-running world affairs news programme HARDtalk and the BBC Asian Network’s bespoke news service will be axed.
The broadcaster also said it would synchronise the production of news bulletins used on Radio 5 Live and Radio 2 and domestic radio would take summaries from the World Service.
The cuts are part of broader efforts by the broadcaster to cut 500 jobs across the corporation by March 2026.
Three former and current employees at BBC Asian Network criticised the removal of its bespoke news service, telling the Guardian the decision was a disservice to the BBC’s audiences. As part of the changes, the network will instead begin airing Newsbeat bulletins which are used on Radio 1 and 1Xtra.
“The BBC talks about diversity, representation and underserved audiences. We tick all of those boxes,” Raj Kaur Bilkhu, a former senior journalist at BBC Asian Network News, said.
“I’m angry and upset for the audience. Where are these young British Asian people, mainly from working-class backgrounds, going to get news relevant to them? But also, I’m very upset for my former colleagues, a lot of them who have only recently joined.”
A current employee at BBC Asian Network, who did not want to be named, said the news service was particularly important to audiences when the far-right riots occurred earlier this year.
“After the riots, Asian Network was reminded of its important role at the BBC as one of the only spaces in the entire organisation where they felt safe to tell their stories. It allowed British Asians to feel heard when they were feeling scared and under attack,” they said.
Another current employee at the network, who did not want to be named, added: “The British Asian community is often seen as impenetrable by normal journalists and normal news programmes and the Asian network news team played an amazing role over decades getting inside those communities …
“[It’s] the only news service that could jump right inside the Muslim community, the Hindu community, the Sikh community and get the stories that mattered.”
The plans announced today will also see HARDtalk close by March 2025, despite being on air since 1997. This prompted criticism from presenter Stephen Sackur who said the move was “depressing” for the future of in-depth interviews.
Turness said in the email that the BBC had “worked hard to find savings that don’t require us to close roles. In fact, more than 40% of these savings will come from non-staff measures including reductions to spend on contracts, suppliers, distribution and physical buildings.
“But with staff costs accounting for 75% of our overall budget, I’m sorry to say that post closures are unavoidable.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “Asian Network will continue to provide a unique offer for Asian listeners in the UK. Today’s announcement is part of a wider schedule change to the station as it adapts to better engage and attract audiences.
“The listening habits of younger British Asian audiences are changing, with a shift towards digital and social media, so in line with the rest of the BBC we must move resources to serve audiences where they are.
“We are committed to supporting all the teams who have been impacted by the proposals.
“We have a good track record of redeploying people who wish to remain within the BBC and we will be looking at opportunities to redeploy people across News.”