Global Radio may axe 40 jobs

The following excerpt was sent out from inews.co.uk:

Listeners in Newcastle will hear their local stories broadcast from Glasgow under plans to centralise news programming drawn up by radio giant Global, which could lead to the loss of up to 40 jobs.

Journalists said the move by the commercial network which owns the LBC, Capital, Heart and Smooth brands, would “decimate local news” at a time when the BBC is also cutting its regional services.

Global, home to star news broadcasters including Andrew Marr and Emily Maitlis, informed staff that it plans to restructure its 11 newsrooms across the country.

News centres in major cities including Leeds and Newcastle would close altogether under the move, which would place up to 40 news reading, reporting and production roles at risk of redundancy, i understands.

Stories about Newcastle and the North-East of England would instead be broadcast from a “hub” in Glasgow. News about Leeds and Yorkshire will be reported from Lancashire, through a hub in Manchester.

The changes would affect Capital, Heart and Smooth, which have networks throughout the country.

The local news centres affected include Birmingham, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Cardiff, Wrexham and Fareham.

An insider told i: “Journalists attended a meeting with senior management and were told they would all have to reapply for their jobs as part of a major shake-up of news provision.

“Many jobs are going to be lost, while ‘news hubs’ will replace them in other centres, some hundreds of miles away from the area they serve.”

A Global spokesperson said: “Whilst it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on specific circumstances that may affect individuals, like any business, we’re constantly reviewing our structures and processes.”