BBC Magazines is considering cutting 20 jobs in its Radio Times
listings department and outsourcing the work to the Press Association,
it was announced this week.
The publisher said it would reinvest
the money saved in editorial content, marketing and web presence for
the magazine, and insisted it would retain “a dedicated in-house team
creating, crafting and proofing listings and reviews to the highest
possible standards”.
The move comes amid fierce competition in
the TV listings sector, with Radio Times losing a small number of
readers in the last ABC period and another round of circulation figures
due next month.
Under the proposal, 20 out of 46 posts would be cut. A consultation has begun with staff and unions.
Managing director Peter Phippen said: “This is not a cost-cutting exercise.
It’s a way of redistributing our resources so that we can reinvest in the title.”
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog