NUJ warn of regional TV cutbacks as Meridian axe jobs

Granada subsidiary Meridian are to make up to 175 staff redundant across their operation.

The move will see the closure of the main studios in Southampton and Maidstone, while the studio covering a third segment of the franchise, at Newbury, was closed last year.

Industry unions are linking up with politicians across the south-east of England to condemn the job cuts and studio closures.

Tory leader Michael Howard, who represents Folkestone and Hythe, has tabled a Commons motion expressing concern at the job losses and his belief that "relocating the news studio would threaten the quality of news coverage in Kent". He called on the company to protect the local involvement and the local level of news service by keeping a studio in Kent.

The motion follows a meeting between MPs from all parties and the 50-strong staff from the Maidstone studio last week.

The NUJ's National Broadcasting Organiser Paul McLaughlin said that the decision to cover the huge and disparate area from Dorset to Kent from a single centre in Hampshire, would be "not so much a retreat as a stampede" from the station's public service commitment to broadcast regional news.

McLaughlin said: "Granada know that we are opposed to the closures and the jobs cuts. Is this their view of regional broadcasting – that you halve the workforce and still provide a service for viewers?

"You cannot lose that magnitude of jobs without affecting output. The southern area is one of only two in the UK where ITV is at present beating the BBC. I’m sure the BBC will be laughing their socks off.

“Talk of investment in new technology will be of little comfort to those who face redundancies. With the political support we have gathered we must stop Granada closing these studios."

Meridian was taken over by Granada in 2000, and at the time Granada chief executive Charles Allen promised to expand the operations.

But now that Granada are to merge with Carlton and establish monopoly control of ITV in England and Wales, many industry observers, including the NUJ and Bectu, are worried that regional broadcasting, particularly news, will be cut back throughout the network.

This fear is supported for many by Granada's decision to move from their iconic Quay Street building in Manchester. Granada maintain that the move is necessary if the company is to keep pace with modern technology, but the suspicion is that this is a first step towards realising the benefits of the ITV merger through cost-saving job cuts.

Additionally, there have been proposed job losses at Central TV and Anglia TV, and the local news operation for London is to be closed and absorbed into ITN's operations.

(GB)