jobs will be cut here if BBC News and BBC World News will merge into one 24-hour TV channel, the broadcaster has announced.
The cuts are part of measures to save money after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced that the license fee will be frozen for the next two years.
It comes after the company announced the end of BBC Four, Radio 4 Extra and CBBC as linear channels.
They are expected to move online to the iPlayer in the coming years as part of the broadcaster’s plans to go “digital first”.
Our goal is to create the best live and breaking video news service in the world
The BBC said on Thursday that the merged station, which will be called BBC newsis expected to launch in April 2023.
BBC News Digital Director Naja Nielsen said: “Our goal is to create the best live and breaking video news service in the world – on our web pages, our apps, on iPlayer and on our new TV news channel.
“The way the public consumes news is changing. In recent years, we’ve seen a massive increase in audiences coming to our live coverage, with tens of millions following live pages as big stories and events unfold.
“As the world’s most trusted source of news, with tremendous depth and breadth of expertise, the BBC is in a unique position to provide the public with the best analysis and explanation as these stories unfold.
“So we are investing in new capabilities to cover breaking news, and our news channel and digital teams will work hand in hand to bring the best journalism to audiences at home and abroad.”
The new channel will be broadcast from London during the day and from Singapore and Washington DC at night.
About 70 BBC employees from all over the UK will lose their jobs as a result of the merger, the PA news agency has understood.
About 20 jobs will be created in Washington.
The BBC said the changes will create a streamlined organization that “gets the most value from the license fee and brings more to the public”.
The channel will serve British and international audiences, with flagship programs built around high-profile journalists, it said.
UK viewers will receive specific content at certain times of the day and a live breaking news team will provide a domestic stream for specific news events, the broadcaster added.
Programming on the channel will be revamped over time, with plans to air at least two new programs in 2023, including one broadcast from Washington.
The broadcaster said it will also invest in “visualizing programmes” of popular radio programmes, starting with Nicky Campbell’s program on BBC Radio 5 Live, which will be broadcast on BBC Two on weekday mornings.
The BBC said the announced plans remain subject to consultations with staff and unions.
The broadcaster has already suffered several layoffs and cutbacks over the past decade, prompted by a rise in license fees below inflation.
Tim Davie, who took over as director general from Lord Tony Hall in September 2020, has overseen a downsizing of the company since he started in the position, with 1,200 employees leaving in the last 18 months.
The news comes at the back of the BBC which has to save a further £285 million in response to Ms Dorries’ announcement in January that the license fee will be frozen at £159 for the next two years.
The company faces uncertainty over the future of the license fee after Ms Dorries said talks on future BBC funding will begin shortly.
She said she wants to find a new financing model before the current deal expires in 2027, because it is “completely obsolete”.