Budget blowout heaps pressure on BBC news
- Published: 05 November 2008 17:30
- Author: Katherine Rushton
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- Last Updated: 07 November 2008 10:10
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The BBC has exceeded its foreign news budget by nearly £1m and is considering closing some of its foreign bureaux to make ends meet.
The corporation has already axed the half-hour BBC News channel programme Your News to help save cash and faced the prospect of not sending staff to cover the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo because of financial constraints.
Head of BBC newsroom Peter Horrocks sanctioned an extra £20,000 to send a BBC reporter to cover the conflict - but is having to make savings from other parts of the news budget.
One source said: "We're now looking at how we can get money from other areas. There is a real possibility that we may close some foreign bureaux."
The BBC has not yet decided which bureau could be the first to close.
"It's an ongoing concern for us. There is an expectation that we have top coverage - that's one of the things that defines the BBC for a lot of people. We don't want to let people down," the source added.
According to insiders, the far-reaching budget cuts introduced last year by director general Mark Thompson under the Fewer, Bigger, Better strategy have been exacerbated in the foreign news department by a spate of major stories overseas, such as the Beijing Olympics and the US election. The budget has also been stretched by the weakening pound.
The BBC spokesman confirmed there had been an overspend, but said it was less than £1m. He added that BBC news would not close foreign bureaux as a "short-term cost saving".
"Everyone recognises that this year has been a significant one for foreign news, but as ever BBC news will live within its means," the spokesman said.
"The budget for the BBC News channel is separate [from the foreign news budget] and Your News on the BBC News channel has now run its course. After two years we have decided we can find a better way of spending the budget for this programme, a budget which will stay within the News Channel."
