London: The British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) said on Thursday it is to cut around 2,000 jobs as the
publicly-funded broadcaster makes savings as part of
government efforts to reduce a record deficit.
Director General Mark Thompson told staff that the posts
would be axed by 2017 as the BBC must make budget cuts of 20
percent following a freeze in the licence fee, which all
Britons with a television must pay.
The cuts were formally announced in BBC's "Delivering
Quality First" report, which follows a nine-month consultation
with staff on how to save money.
The report said it would involve "the most far-reaching
transformation in our history. This involves painful choices
for the BBC, including significant job losses at every level
of the organisation."
It said there would be an "estimated net loss of around
2,000 posts across the BBC" over the next five years, adding
that they would try to avoid forced redundancies.
In a speech to staff, Thompson warned that the BBC --
known around the world for both its news and current affairs
output as well as its drama and entertainment programming --
could not maintain its reputation if it had to make any
further cuts.
"It's my judgment that this is the last time the BBC will
be able to make this level of savings without a substantial
loss of services or quality or both," he said.
The BBC currently employs 22,899 people, according to its
annual report.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, October 06, 2011, 23:49