The company is also prepared for the regulator, Ofcom, to make a key announcement about the proposal, while some charities have already raised concerns. In May, it was revealed that the BBC wanted to combine the BBC News channel and its commercial global service, BBC World News, as part of a £500m cost-cutting and redistribution drive announced by its director-general, Tim Davie, to create a “digital first” organization. It is seeking to achieve cuts of £285m a year required by the Government to freeze the license fee for two years. The new channel will feature news of interest to international and UK audiences, with overseas-only adverts and a UK ‘opt out’ stream to cover major domestic news, using reporters and a breaking news team, simulcasting the BBC Breakfast, BBC One broadcasts and a televised version of Radio 5 live presenter Nicky Campbell’s show. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. But some staff claim the £57m News Channel merger proposal next April will surprise license payers who expect their money to be used for rolling domestic news and drive people to rivals such as GB News and talkTV by Rupert Murdoch. Around 79% of UK adults watch TV news, according to Ofcom, but the BBC argues that young people are increasingly accessing stories through social media platforms such as TikTok. They also argue that UK viewers will see fewer local stories at a time when local newspapers are shrinking, and that merging the channels could blur the waters between the BBC’s public service and commercial activities – concerns shared by some politicians and the which the culture select committee will challenge Davy next month. Ofcom is due to make a statement this week on the proposed changes, which could delay the plans. Under the regulator’s rules, if the company makes “a material change”, it must carry out a “public interest test” and then get Ofcom’s approval. The BBC must also “consider the effects” on competition to ensure that its commercial activities do not distort the market. According to sources, Ofcom is sympathetic to the BBC’s financial situation, but some at the regulator want the company to be more open about how the proposals will work in practice, as they believe they could fundamentally change the channel. Staff, who are facing 70 redundancies, also want more details instead of the “engagement workshops”, “bespoke well-being sessions” and “in-the-moment telephone counselling” offered in an internal BBC email this week. In addition, charities have expressed their fears to BBC management. Interim director of BBC News Jonathan Munro responded in a letter seen by the Guardian that he understood “there are concerns… but… these proposals represent the best value for the license fee payer as we invest in the most effective ways of reaching the whole public and build our resilience for years to come.” However, a report compiled by BBC News staff argues that with many other programs and channels relying on the BBC News channel for content, it could cost the company more to replace the equipment it needs than it would save by shutting it down. . They estimate that, in addition to the News Channel’s 8 to 10 million linear viewers, its content is heard, seen or read online by more than 25 million to 35 million people a week – more if the material is used by local radio, regional TV and iPlayer is calculated. Furthermore, as a BBC News insider explained, “The content of the news channel is invaluable” to BBC One’s 1pm, 6pm and 10pm feeds, which sometimes “wouldn’t go to air without the content which the channel provides’, while BBC online uses the news channel content it ‘picks up on UK stories’, but is often not credited. In addition, all of the BBC’s main radio news programs use News Channel clips. Ofcom did not comment on their plans, but a spokesman said it expected “the BBC to provide a range of local, regional news nationally and across the UK, as well as international coverage”. A BBC spokesman said the staff report was “anecdotal, contains no data analysis and is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how BBC News works and the plans for the new channel. Running one 24-hour channel, rather than two parallel channels, allows us to invest more in our ability to cover breaking news at the BBC.” They added: “We remain fully committed to covering British news and a 24-hour news channel that serves the needs of the UK, as well as international audiences, even better than we do now.”
