BBC to cut 58 jobs in Wales as part of savings plan

BBC Wales will lose a total of 58 jobs in its latest round of cuts, BBC Wales' interim director has said.

It is understood this will affect a larger number of its 680 staff members, including those in part-time or shared positions.

As part of the cost-saving measures, 20 hours of television programming will no longer be produced and several radio programmes have also been dropped.

The changes across the department are part of the corporation's wider £500m savings plan.

Interim director Garmon Rhys said changing the licence fee model is "absolutely necessary" and warned that the corporation will continue to face financial challenges.

Several meetings were held at BBC Wales' headquarters by senior management in Cardiff on Thursday.

Staff heard 20 jobs would go in total from the newsroom, with most roles going through voluntary redundancies and two roles through compulsory redundancies.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Drive, Rhys said 45 full-time equivalent roles will be going, but 58 "individual roles" will be cut altogether.

BBC Wales and Wales Business Operations are making savings of about £9m for 2027-28 and said they expect there would be further savings required beyond this in 2028-29.

BBC Wales' best-known weather presenter Derek Brockway announced on Tuesday that he would step down from the role after nearly 30 years.

Following this, corporation changes will also be made to the weather service and live forecasts will end on Radio Wales from January.

Several long-running radio programmes have also been dropped by the corporation from its Welsh language radio station, Radio Cymru.

This includes the daily news and current affairs programme Dros Ginio and the Saturday morning edition of the news programme Dros Frecwast.

One of the station's longest running programmes, Ar y Marc will also be cut in the latest cost-saving measures. The football discussion programme has been on the air for 35 years.

Presenter John Hardy's departure from BBC Radio Cymru will see Radio Cymru 2 fill the morning gap leading up to 07:00, when Dros Frecwast goes on air.

Radio Wales' budgets will reduce by a similar amount to Radio Cymru, with the Sunday schedule being "simplified" following Roy Noble's announcement he will be leaving the station in the spring.

Lynn Bowles' Sunday programme will also end, and the volume of commissioned programmes will be reduced.

Public tours of BBC Central Square in Cardiff will stop in line with other BBC centres.

Speaking to BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Ginio on Friday, Rhys said changing the licence fee model was "absolutely necessary".

"We're now in a situation where 94% of people in Britain use BBC services every month, but only 80% of households pay for the BBC."

He said the corporation had been putting greater emphasis on growing its digital platforms as audiences change the way they access BBC content.

Rhys added that the fundamental challenge was that the licence fee model was "rooted in another world".

"Changing the licence fee model is absolutely necessary," he said, predicting that the number of households paying would continue to fall and that "the BBC will continue to face financial challenges".

Rhys did not rule out further cuts in future, saying: "We have to continue looking at our budgets and continue assessing them."

In an interview with BBC Radio Wales Drive, Rhys said that a new funding model is "a matter for government", but added that "we need models that delivers sufficient and sustainable funding".

Addressing morale at BBC Wales, he said the team was "fantastic" and he was "really proud of how dedicated that team is".

He added: "I'm really also really proud of the culture here in BBC Wales. You know, I think we can absolutely commit to supporting our staff through this process but also to be, know as transparent and open as possible."

Rhys said "we'll be working very closely with those people over the coming weeks and months", but warned that the "media market is changing" and "these pressures are not unique to the BBC."

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called for UK government intervention over the cuts.

Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said the cuts were "devastating and demoralising".

"The latest wave of cuts piles on the misery already being felt," she said.

"BBC local radio attracts millions of listeners around the country each week.

"It is the BBC's dedicated workforce that has made it a success, and the broadcaster will not be able to continue providing quality journalism and original programming without them.

"The more cuts the BBC makes, the more its services suffer."

She added: "This is where the UK government must step in. The BBC has been undermined by years of underinvestment and interference."