BBC Cymru Wales Savings Plans
BBC Wales today announced a package of savings as part of the BBC’s wider plans to address significant financial pressures across the organisation.
As previously announced, the BBC is required to deliver savings of around £500 million. Although the BBC is prioritising the protection of content within those savings plans, BBC Wales, like all other parts of the organisation, must contribute its share while seeking to protect the quality, relevance and impact of its output across TV, radio and online services.
Today’s proposals will lead to changes across a number of services and activities and are expected to reduce staffing levels by around 45 full-time equivalent roles, including management roles. Throughout this process, BBC Wales has sought to minimise the impact on audiences and to focus investment on areas of greatest audience value and growth. There will however be further savings to make as the position with regards to BBC funding and changing audience needs evolves.
The plans also reflect changing audience habits, with more people choosing to access content on digital platforms, alongside the need to ensure BBC Wales remains sustainable and able to serve audiences across Wales into the future.
These changes represent an important step towards meeting BBC Wales' savings target, while enabling its commitment to trusted journalism, distinctive Welsh content and digital services.
The proposals include:
News and Current Affairs
BBC Wales is proposing changes to its news and current affairs operations, simplifying structures and ways of working to focus resources on the journalism that delivers impact. The changes would include a more streamlined newsgathering and production model.
English Language Television
Investment will be increasingly focused on content with the strongest audience impact across BBC iPlayer and digital platforms, alongside a growing commitment to creating content for younger audiences. As part of these changes, along with increased inflationary pressure on productions, BBC Wales will have to commission around 20 fewer hours of television programming each year.
BBC Radio Cymru
On Radio Cymru, the proposal includes ending Dros Ginio next year and a new a one-hour weekly round-up of politics and news on Friday lunchtimes, Yr Wythnos, will be launched.
We are aiming to increase the reach of our podcasts by broadcasting the Gwleidydda podcast on Saturday mornings, replacing Dros Frecwast on Saturday and Ar y Marc will be replaced in the linear schedule by the Coridor Ansicrwydd football podcast.
Under these proposals, there will be a new simulcast breakfast programme on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Cymru 2 until 7 as Rhaglen John Hardy comes to an end. As part of that change, Bwletin Amaeth will end with rural and agricultural news being reflecting in our main news content.
BBC Radio Wales
Radio Wales’ budgets will reduce by a similar proportion to Radio Cymru, with the Sunday Schedule being refreshed and simplified. We will make an announcement soon about our new line up for the spring when Roy Noble will be leaving us and Lynn Bowles’ programme will come to an end. The volume of commissioned programmes will also reduce.
Sport
In sport we will continue to focus investment on priority continuing rights and keep growing our sports offer online.
Music
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales will continue to play a central role in BBC Wales' cultural offer with some changes to its annual programme. We will also review the future of the Gorwelion/Horizons contemporary music initiative.
Public Tours
As part of the proposals, public tours of BBC Central Square in Cardiff will also cease in line with other BBC centres.
