BBC News 'to cull three newsreaders'

Three BBC News presenters are due to lose their jobs under a fresh round of cutbacks at the corporation, it has emerged.

According to The Daily Telegraph, one of the newsreaders under threat is a regular weekend host on the BBC News channel, while two other positions will be cut from the Red Button interactive news service.

A further two more journalists are due to be cut from the BBC News channel's E24 entertainment show, which will also be closed.

The BBC News channel's regular weekend presentation lineup includes Nicholas Owen, Maxine Mawhinney and Annita McVeigh, while E24 is fronted by James Dagwell.

It is thought to be unlikely that any high-profile presenters will lose their jobs in the cutbacks, which head of the BBC Newsroom Mary Hockaday said are part of "reducing what we spend on presentation in line with BBC strategy".

Yesterday, the BBC confirmed that 20 positions will be cut from the news operation, which has lost around 120 jobs over the last three years.

In an email to all news staff, Hockaday said: "As always where posts are being closed we will ask for volunteers. However the BBC retains the right, as a last resort, to make people compulsorily redundant."

Hockaday also revealed that other areas of the news operation will be subject to cost-cutting efforts, including the corporation's new weather services contract with the Met Office.

"The renewed Met Office contract for weather services is planned to deliver substantial savings," she said.

"Further non-staff savings will be made in areas such as guest transport, guest fees and less spending on coverage with a focus on 'fewer, bigger, better' and the big stories."

Reacting to the development, National Union of Journalists general secretary Jeremy Dear said: "Once again, the effect of BBC cuts is to put more work on fewer people.

"Instead of cutting frontline posts, the BBC should be looking at management and tiers of bureaucracy."

The BBC has already caused anguish with a proposal to freeze the pay of all staff earning over £37,726 a year, as well as impose significant cuts to its pension plan.

Next week, unions representing BBC staff, including the NUJ and Bectu, will decide whether to ballot their members for strike action.