Michelle Stanistreet: Last News

K.J. Yossman BBC journalists are considering whether to strike over the merger of two of the network’s news channel teams, which will see up to 70 jobs axed.Earlier this year BBC director general Tim Davie revealed that the U.K.-focused BBC News and global BBC World News channels would be replaced by one new channel called BBC News as part of a move to deliver hundreds of million dollars’ worth of cutbacks at the corporation. The decision, which Davie described as one of a number of “difficult choices” management were having to make, came after the U.K.

Paris Hilton has caused a stir online after she was spotted on a BBC picket line this morning. Pictures have emerged of the socialite on the socialite wearing sunglasses and dressed in a velvet blue dress speaking to striking BBC journalists ahead of her appearance on The One Show.

BBC employees will stage their biggest strike in 13 years today as they walk out in protest over job losses and changes to local content.

BBC‘s regional services in England will stage a 24 hour strike next month over plans to merge some local radio shows including BBC Introducing.The walkout is set to take place at 11am on March 15, on the same day as the Budget, after 83 per cent of members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) voted in favour of the move.A spokesperson said they were “disappointed at the outcome of the ballot”, reports BBC News but NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet said its members had shown “their determination not to stand by and see local radio output dismantled”.It comes after the BBC has announced plans for its 39 local stations to share more shows in afternoons, evenings and at weekends.Under the proposals, the stations would keep their own weekday morning programmes but then share 20 afternoon weekday shows, 10 shows after 6pm and a single all-England programme after 10pm. Weekend output will also be affected.The corporation’s 39 BBC Introducing shows, a scheme to support up-and-coming musical talent, will also be cut to 20 but with extra timeslots to ensure a broad range of music can still be played.

BBC Chair Richard Sharp has been urged to resign by almost all the plus-1,000 respondents to a staff survey at the corporation as pressure ramps up following the Boris Johnson loan scandal.

BBC News journalists are considering striking over the merger of the domestic and international news channels that will see 70 jobs axed.