Staff at TV and radio stations in Leeds were reeling today after the BBC announced job losses as part of a massive review.
A spokeswoman for the BBC told the YEP that 29 jobs were to go at centres including Leeds, Sheffield and York.
At Radio Leeds, staff have been told to expect a reduction of 11 posts as its budget is cut by a fifth.
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Journalists have been told that, in the future, there is likely to be more ‘programme sharing’, with all stations broadcasting the same items at lunchtime and for a period during the evening.
It is also understood Radio Leeds sports commentators will no longer travel to fixtures outside the county.
Spokesman for the Radio Leeds branch of the National Union of Journalists, Richard Edwards, said: “Members are deeply concerned that if the cuts go ahead as proposed, it could cause significant and lasting damage to the valuable service that local radio provides.
“We will use the public consultation to lobby hard against the cuts.”
The local cuts are part of plans to shed 2,000 jobs and radically change programming in order to cut 20 per cent from the BBC budget over the next five years.
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