GB News chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos has set out a plan to turn the start-up broadcaster into Britain’s biggest news channel while trimming “wasteful costs and inefficiencies”.
In a note to staff on Monday morning, seen by Press Gazette, Frangopoulos said the channel was now entering its “third phase”. The future of GB News will include “pivoting sharply towards financial sustainability and profit,” he said.
The first phase was launch, in June 2021, and the second consisted of “investment in people, talent, and programming while we relentlessly built a loyal audience,” he said.
The boss told staff that GB News’ business goal was to become “the number one news channel in the United Kingdom by 2028”.
GB News regularly ranks ahead of News Corp’s TalkTV, launched in April 2022, in linear television ratings. As Press Gazette reported in December, it increasingly challenges Sky News. And Frangopoulos said GB News is “edging ever closer to the BBC News channel” – which itself will see change this spring as the BBC’s UK channel merges with BBC World News.
After a rocky start, which included the resignation of its star presenter Andrew Neil within months of launch, GB News has slowly established itself with a growing linear TV audience (see recent Barb figures below).
Frangopoulos said GB News is backed by “committed investors who understand that a start-up like ours needs time and patience. No one in media expects a quick profit.”
He added that the channel is “exactly where we should be at this stage, but not where we need to be in six months’ time”. In his email, Frangopoulos introduced several new policies aimed at cutting down on “wasteful costs and inefficiencies”.
Frangopoulos said the channel would be “adopting a story-centric model”. In practical terms, he explained, this meant “allocating a dedicated team to each major story as it develops through the day, rather than programme teams working on it in parallel”. He said this would help staff “avoid the duplication of inviting the same guest on to several shows and will ensure we supply and use all our digital platforms to maximum effect”.
The “default position” for GB News will be that guests are not paid for appearances, he added. The channel’s “most regular paid guests will receive a flat rate”, and rates will include travel and other expenses – “they are responsible for their own travel and we will not fund taxis on top”. Frangopoulos added: “When we do pay down-the-line guests, they will have to meet minimum technical standards, and be ready in good time, to qualify for payment.”
GB News is also seeking to save costs on taxis. Frangopoulos said that “taxis for guests are rarely the best option anyway. The reason we chose to locate in Paddington is because it is a massive transport hub. We also have access to a guest parking near to The Point.”
Frangopoulos’ email suggested there could be fewer overtime and freelance shifts available at GB News as well.
“All overtime and freelancer use will need to be approved in advance...” he said. “For certain functions this will be done by way of allocating a limited freelance/overtime budget.
“Approved overtime will usually be for a whole shift. In some circumstances (e.g. a major breaking story), approval will be swift. If not, there will need to be a compelling reason for it. Any overtime worked without approval in advance will not be paid.
“Our main goal here is to ensure that everyone stays fresh and sharp. We’re in a tough business, but routine long hours are not optimal for anyone.”
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