NUJ says cuts to BBC will harm quality and breadth of news
The corporation’s annual report shows a drop in licence fee revenue and a move to becoming a “leaner” organisation.
In response to the announcement of 500 job losses (not all journalists) at the BBC, Sian Jones, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said:
“The union has significant concerns about job cuts as they will inevitably have an impact on the quality and breadth of content provided by the BBC. Coming on the back of other recent restructures and cuts – notably in BBC Local – the impact of increased staff workload and stress is a serious fear. At a time when trusted news is even more vital it is also a time to invest in journalism and programme making.
“The report notes that 75 per cent of UK adults use BBC News on average per week and ‘the UK’s voice, values, and influence reach a weekly audience of 450 million people worldwide’. So now the government must step up to ensure the BBC’s funding will be protected and sustainable and that licence fee payers get the service they deserve.”
The BBC is now seeking voluntary redundancies.
The BBC published its annual report and accounts 2023/24 on July 23. It said: “The report shows that the BBC is at the heart of national life and is the go-to media brand in the UK, with 95 per cent of UK adults using our services on average per month.”
The report showed that licence fee income continues to fall year on year, with half a million households cancelling their licence.
It said at the PSB Group (outside the BBC’s commercial arm) the average full-time equivalent headcount decreased year-on-year from 17,688 to 17,611, with overall Group headcount increasing slightly to 21,795, owing to a rise in apprentice numbers.
It said: “Amongst the young – with an average weekly reach of 71 per cent amongst 16-34s and 69 per cent of under 16s – the BBC is the only UK brand for media to make their top five. The intensity of competition from global providers – who are subject to fewer regulations or obligations to champion UK creativity and reflect UK life – has pushed the commercially funded UK PSB providers out of the top five for these age groups. Only the UK’s publicly funded PSB – the BBC – remains there in amongst YouTube, Netflix and Disney+, and our strategy is to ensure UK PSB stays a regular part of the media diet for the majority of the UK’s young people.”
It said its gender pay gaps remain significantly lower than the national average median gap of 14.3 per cent and the reported pay gaps for other main broadcasters in the UK. The mean gap was 5.4 per cent and the median 7.9 per cent.
It said: “The gap between the mean hourly pay for our Black, Asian, and minority ethnic staff and our white staff has decreased compared to last year. The median pay gap has increased slightly compared to last year. Our mean ethnicity pay gap is now 2.8 per cent and the median pay gap is 1.9 per cent.”
The gaps between both the mean and median hourly pay for disabled and non-disabled staff also decreased compared to last year; the mean gap was 5.8 per cent and the median was 5.5 per cent. However, the report acknowledged that its targets for workforce diversity, including disability and ethnicity, were “behind our expected ambition and both will be a focus of our refreshed D&I strategy which will be released in the coming year”.
The report said:
- 75 per cent of UK adults use BBC News on average per week – well ahead of the next nearest provider
- 1.3m 12-15 year olds in the UK follow the news with the BBC – higher than any other organisation
- We carry the UK’s voice, values, and influence to a weekly audience of 450 million people worldwide
- We contributed almost £5 billion to the UK economy last year and for every £1 of the BBC’s direct economic activity, £2.63 is generated in the UK economy
- Half of our economic impact is outside London – versus 20 per cent for the wider industry
- 99 per cent of our original content is made in the UK – we are the largest single investor in UK-made programming.
- We won 14 BAFTA TV awards in 2024 – more than any other broadcaster or streamer
- BBC coverage reached 25.2m people in the UK on the day of the Coronation of HM The King and HM The Queen Consort
- There were a record 8.1bn streaming requests on BBC iPlayer – up 10% on the year before
- Of the UK’s top 10 most viewed programmes in 2023, seven were on the BBC, highlighting our ongoing importance and relevance for today’s audiences
- People spent 5hrs 44m watching BBC TV/iPlayer on average per week – more than all the big SVOD streamers combined