By DPA
London : The BBC is to axe 2,500 jobs and sell Television Centre in London where thousands of its staff are based, reports said Thursday.
News, television production and factual programmes will be hardest hit by the cuts, according to the reports.
Details of the drastic reduction in spending were being given to staff at a series of briefings across Britain Thursday, with the BBC expected to send out thousands of letters to staff Friday seeking volunteers for redundancy.
BBC Substitute Director General Mark Thompson met senior union leaders in London early Thursday to explain his plans for plugging a funding shortfall of two billion British pounds ($4 billion).
The BBC was reported to be creating some new jobs and to be offering re-deployment to some of its staff. The net loss of jobs was therefore expected to be reduced to 1,800.
The National Union of Journalists and the broadcasting workers union Bectu has warned of industrial action over the job cuts.
Gerry Morrissey, General Secretary of Bectu said after meeting Thompson that unions were willing to negotiate with the BBC to help make savings.
The BBC is also cutting 10 per cent from the number of programmes it commissions. It was also confirmed that the corporation was to make efficiency savings of 3 per cent a year.
BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said that the trustees would be making sure that the cuts would not damage the quality or “distinctiveness” of the BBC.