To Veterans, a 'Skill-Proving Audition'... British Journalists Who Threw in Resignation Letters in "Humiliation"

BBC Forms New Team to Integrate April News Channels
Existing Hosts Required to Undergo 'Screen Test'... "Humiliating"

Three veteran news presenters at the UK broadcaster BBC voluntarily resigned during a redundancy process. It is reported that they opposed the company's demand to audition in order to join the new news team.

According to Deadline and other sources on the 12th (local time), David Eades, Joanna Gosling, and Tim Wilcox, who have long hosted news programs at the BBC, are expected to leave their positions.

Eades has appeared on the BBC's domestic and international channels since 2003, Gosling joined the UK news channel lineup in 1999 and is one of the most recognizable faces at the BBC. Wilcox is also a presenter boasting over 20 years of experience on BBC terrestrial channels. Eades has already completed his final broadcast, Gosling is expected to leave at the end of January, and Wilcox's departure date has not yet been decided.

Recently, the BBC decided to create a new channel combining the UK's 24-hour news and BBC international news. The team will include six main presenters, but these three have decided not to participate in the recruitment process.

The reason they decided to leave the BBC newsroom is due to the company's unreasonable 'audition demand.' They must prove their skills through auditions to secure one of the six positions on the new team. About 15 candidates were considered for this team, but flagship presenters such as Hugh Edwards, Fiona Bruce, and Clive Myrie reportedly do not need to reapply.

The BBC headquarters located in London, England.
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Insiders said that for those who have hosted 'rolling news' (news updated live 24 hours a day) for decades, the 'screen test' was "humiliating." The test is conducted in a studio that lacks modern technology, and presenters must operate the teleprompter themselves while being evaluated by BBC staff for about 40 minutes.

One source told Deadline, "They seemed unable to endure having to go through this humiliating process." Another source pointed out, "People were angry. It’s humiliating. They probably felt like they were 21 again, applying as new BBC recruits."

This policy by the BBC aligns with its recent plan to strengthen digital-focused news services. The BBC plans to launch the integrated channel in April and is pushing redundancies to reduce costs due to digitalization and restructure TV news. In this process, a total of 70 jobs, including 14 news presenters, are expected to disappear in the UK alone. The BBC expects to save over ?1 million (about 1.5 billion KRW) annually by reducing the number of news presenters.

Earlier, Naja Nielsen, the digital director overseeing the BBC News channel, said, "We will create the world's best live and breaking news video service." However, the BBC remained tight-lipped regarding the presenters' resignations.