EXCLUSIVE: BBC News started the year with a sober reminder to staff: money will be tight.
Jonathan Munro, deputy chief executive and director of journalism at BBC News, warned in an email to colleagues on Wednesday that significant sums had already been earmarked for elections, wars and major sporting events.
The news bonus and the BBC’s need to save a further 90 million pounds ($113 million) on top of ongoing content cuts means BBC News has to be careful in its spending.
Munro said, “There’s no doubt that more of our money will be committed upfront than in any other year in recent memory … We’re going to need some patience. “We can’t support every idea or every request . The benchmark for discretionary spending must be increased for at least the next 12 months.”
In the message, seen by Deadline, he added: “Every pound, dollar or rupee we spend should help support the hard work required throughout the year.” Let us not let this discourage us; it’s simple homework.”
One insider summed up the email: “I think it means BBC News is lame.”
BBC News is making the latest round of content cuts as part of a 7.5 million pound ($9.5 million) savings plan. News night has been hit hard by the cuts and plans to strip the flagship current affairs program of its original coverage and cut its episodes.
Insiders feel depressed by the cuts and there is a sense that BBC News is constantly shrinking. “It never ends,” a source said. “You can do it [a round of cuts] and then [it] start all over again.”
Munro remained optimistic, saying the 2024 news cycle would “play to our strengths.” He pointed to the BBC’s emphasis on verification at a time when potentially overlapping elections in the UK and US could lead to social media feeds being flooded with misinformation and disinformation.
Full email from Jonathan Munro:
Happy new year everyone
I thought I’d put an early post in your inbox as we head into a very busy news year. The wall map of news events in 2024 is already strongly colored – it presents us with many opportunities, some challenges and a lot of work.
Voices everywhere
Elections take place in all democracies, but the timing has never been as precisely coordinated as this year. Some statisticians estimate that half of all adults in the world will participate in national or equivalent surveys by 2024. That’s a lot of counting.
India – the world’s largest democracy – the United States, Indonesia, Venezuela and South Africa will all take final votes. Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan and even the Solomon Islands are also on the agenda. And there is more. And if an election is called in the UK, it will be the first time since 1992 that it takes place in the same year as the US presidential election (Conservatives win here, Democrats win there); If the British elections take place in the autumn, it will be the first time since 1964 that the election campaigns overlap (Labour here, Democrats there).
We are all dealing with this potential overlap for the first time. An emergency supply of live pages is required.
Also on the wall map
It’s not just elections. 2024 is a year of further big events – the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris will certainly be of great importance, as will the European Football Championship in Germany, where we already know that England and Scotland will play – the Scots have the honor of open the tournament against the hosts. And there is still a chance Wales could join them.
This is good news for football fans. If sports aren’t your thing, you’ll want to look away this summer, but stories surrounding the events will no doubt emerge that will be of great interest to almost any audience.
Constant conflict
We start the year with a focus on two major wars – in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as various other hot spots around the world. Our special thanks go to colleagues who were on or near the front lines during the holidays, including our colleagues in Gaza.
And thanks also to those who worked on the earthquake in Japan – the first big story of the new year.
The decision points forward
All the big stories of 2024 will reinforce our strengths. We have journalists reporting and analyzing. Our verification tools are in better shape than ever – entering a year where misinformation and disinformation will be a regular feature across all streams. And we have the manufacturing and engineering skills to do it all with outstanding quality.
But we also have a challenge. Like any other major newsroom, we have to spend a significant portion of our budget on these events. Probably more of our money is reserved in advance than in any other year in recent memory. It is clear that we must also consider the previously unknown stories that really matter and that we must use everything that sets us apart: investigative journalism, eyewitness accounts, live reporting.
All this means that we will need some patience. We cannot support every idea or request. The benchmark for discretionary spending must be increased for at least the next twelve months. It will be more important than ever to work together to ensure our content is more widely distributed. Every pound, dollar or rupee we spend should contribute to the hard work required throughout the year.
Don’t let that discourage us: this is simple homework.
Happy New Year
So there is a lot to think about. But none of us came into the news industry to survive the hard times. This is a wall chart that news fans will enjoy. Fascinating events lie ahead, some of which will have far-reaching consequences.
And that just leaves me to reiterate my wish that you all have a happy 2024.
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
