BBC Scotland's local and national news output is expected to be one of the casualties of deep cuts being announced today by the national broadcaster.
BBC Scotland is braced for between 16% and 20% savings in its £95 million annual budget, part of overall cuts of £400m to the corporation due in part to a freeze in the TV licence at £145.50 until 2017.
Although last week Lord Patten, the chair of the BBC Trust, said job losses were “not the end of the world”, many staff at the BBC are concerned over the scale of cuts at the corporation north of the Border.
Staff will find out the extent of the changes when they are addressed by Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, as the corporation publishes its Delivering Quality First Proposals, to be followed by a consultation period.
It has been suggested that more than 100 staff, out of 1300, could lose their jobs at Pacific Quay in Glasgow because of the changes, and programming output would also be affected by BBC 2 becoming a network-only channel, with no “regional” opt-outs.
The Herald understands staff fear BBC Scotland’s news output, already thought to be stretched, will suffer more cuts or “savings”, while any cuts to drama will contradict BBC Scotland’s desire to be a centre of excellence for drama.
Around 2000 jobs in the BBC across the UK will be lost because of the cuts, it is expected.
Lord Patten, the BBC Trust Chairman, has said there will “almost certainly” be more repeats on television because of the moves.
One BBC Scotland source said: “We are expecting less cuts than in other parts of the BBC but the news operation is particularly over stretched and any cuts there would just not work.
“Some people want the cuts to be felt at management level, rather than the rank and file. There will be trouble if, as some expect, they target the Unpredictability Allowance, because if that goes, no-one will feel that they are safe.”
This allowance, paid to more than 8000 BBC staff who work unsocial hours, costs the BBC more than £32m a year.
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