The BBC is to announce cuts to its news division on Wednesday as part of a cost-cutting drive.
Plans to axe Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC Two programme have already been leaked, with the host saying she is “absolutely devastated”.
Flagship BBC shows like Newsnight and Radio 4’s Today programme are also expected to have to make efficiencies.
BBC News has to save £80 million as part of financial pressures on the corporation, including paying for free TV licences for over-75s on pension credit.
It is expected that BBC Radio bulletins across different stations will share more resources.
The cuts also come amid payouts to some female staff, with radio presenter Sarah Montague getting a £400,000 settlement and Samira Ahmed winning an employment tribunal in a dispute over equal pay.
They are being announced as the corporation starts the search for a new director-general with Lord Tony Hall announcing he will step down from the role in the summer.
Speaking at the Edelman Trust Barometer 2020 event on Tuesday, Lord Hall said: “We’ve got to look at our part in the nature of political discourse.
“I’m a great believer in the long form political interview where you can explore at length, not in soundbites, the real policy decisions that politicians are making.”
BBC director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth told staff the move to end Derbyshire’s daily BBC Two current affairs programme had “not been an easy decision”.
Derbyshire, 51, said she first found out about the plans in a newspaper.
Absolutely devastated at the plan to end our programme (which I first learned about in yesterday’s Times). I’m unbelievably proud of what our team and our show have achieved in under 5 years.. 1/3
— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) January 23, 2020
She said her Bafta-winning show had delivered on its remit, breaking original stories and “attracting a working class, young, diverse audience”.
Confirming the decision, Unsworth said: “Linear television viewing is declining, and as we progress with our £80 million savings target, it is no longer cost-effective to continue producing the programme on television.”
A petition to save the programme has reached more than 30,000 signatures.
Sherna Noah is PA Senior Entertainment Correspondent.
