NEWSNIGHT TO BE 'REFORMATTED' UNDER BBC COST-CUTTING PLANS

The new cost-saving package form BBC News includes a reformatting of BBC Newsnight, based on audience feedback which "showed what consumers value most from today’s programme – high-quality, consequential, news-making interviews, discussion and debate".

Newsnight will remain as a nightly BBC Two TV programme from Mondays to Fridays, and will become a 30 minute interview, debate and discussion show which draws on the best of the BBC’s talent and news-making interviews to make sense of the day’s news.

BBC News and Current Affairs CEO Deborah Turness says: “Audiences have told us how much they value Newsnight as an iconic BBC debate and discussion programme, and we’ve listened to what they’ve said – we’ve made the decision to keep the programme on air five days a week, despite the financial challenges we face.

“Newsnight has also been a source of great investigative reporting and films but we know that people are consuming the news in different ways, and it can no longer make sense to keep a bespoke reporting team for a single television programme..

"We will offer more to audiences by investing to ensure the best investigative journalism and reporting is produced – and consumed – across the whole of BBC News.”

As a result the BBC is proposing the closure of a number of roles across Newsnight’s reporting, production and operational functions.