THE BBC is facing the potential of strike action over its plans to cut its dedicated news and world news channels, merging them into a single broadcast.
The move to reduce the corporation’s broadcast news output will see 70 jobs cut.
It comes as part of measures to save around £285 million a year after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced the licence fee will be frozen at its current £159 rate until 2024.
Writing to BBC director-general Tim Davie, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) – which represents around 5.5 million members – said the merging of the news channels would affect UK democracy by reducing coverage of stories at home.
In a letter reported by The Guardian, Frances O’Grady further told the BBC boss that news content was “increasingly filled with interviews with guests with a political agenda” and that the corporation’s plans seemed to be to continue this trend.
“High-quality news coverage is at the very heart of the BBC’s most important public service duties,” she said.
O’Grady added the emergence of rival broadcasters such as GB News made it “even more important that the BBC continues to provide a national service of high-quality, impartial reporting”.
According to reports in The Guardian, there was a strong turnout among BBC trade union members at a consultative ballot which saw a result in favour of industrial action. A full ballot could now be on the cards.
The merger of BBC News and BBC World would see a net loss of 50 jobs across the corporation, with 70 cut but 20 created in Washington DC.
The new channel will be broadcast from London during the day and then Singapore and the US capital and will serve UK and international audiences, the BBC previously said.
Last week, regulator Ofcom said it will “if necessary, take steps” to ensure the merged BBC News channel continues to compete fairly and deliver for audiences in the UK.
The broadcaster has not released detailed proposals for the channel but it is expected to provide coverage of global breaking news and a domestic-only stream for specific news events.
Ofcom sets an Operating Licence with requirements to ensure that audiences across the UK are well served by the BBC and that the corporation delivers its remit.
The media watchdog said it is currently “consulting with stakeholders” on how best to adapt the Operating Licence to allow the BBC to undertake the necessary transformation while “continuing to deliver high-quality distinctive content for UK audiences”.
“We have not yet seen detailed delivery plans for the merged channel and how the BBC will continue to serve UK audiences and deliver its remit,” Ofcom said.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Our teams are rightly proud of the work they’re doing, and times of change are always difficult, but we need to ensure better value for licence fee payers and stop the duplication that currently exists with two parallel channels.”
