Staff at the BBC's news department were recently told to expect a cost cut of around 15%. The cuts are part of a trust-wide aim to save £600m, according to The Guardian.
The cost-cutting is sharper than expected and staff have been warned to prepare for massive redundancies at the news department, where a quarter of BBC staff work.
The cuts are part of a plan to cut 2,000 jobs in the biggest restructuring of the public broadcaster in 15 years.
Last month, staff were told around 10% of the corporation's 21,500 staff would be affected by the £600m cost-cutting measures. It was unclear at the time whether the news department would suffer larger cuts.
The cuts come before former Google executive Matt Brittin takes over as the company's CEO on May 18. His appointment follows the resignation of Tim Davie in November following allegations of bias by a former BBC adviser.
The change at the top of the BBC also comes after the station apologized for editing a speech by Donald Trump, which led to a lawsuit filed by the US president.
Employees across all BBC divisions are being informed of the extent of the cuts, with details to be announced in June and those affected will be informed in September.
BBC News has been hit hard by waves of cuts in recent years, notes The Guardian.
Richard Burgess, director of news and content, oversees more than 800 journalists. He said on the video conference that the entire news division will face cost cuts of about 15 percent.
The BBC's latest annual report shows that the institution spent £324 million on news and current events in the year ending at the end of March 2025. A proportion of this is wages.
Last year, the BBC's public service division employed 237 executives classified as members of senior management in the UK. They received salaries ranging from £100,000 to over £350,000.
In addition, the BBC spent £140 million on staff with live roles. They represent staff who spend 80% or more of their time on television or radio.
