ITN consults Channel 5 News staff over role changes

The number of staff working for Channel 5 News will remain "comparable" when ITN takes over the contract to produce news for the channel next year, the broadcaster insisted today. However, it is understood some will face redundancies as roles are adapted, with new staff to be brought in to fill these positions.

ITN confirmed in November that it would take back the contract to produce Channel 5 News for three years from Sky, to start from 2012.

The broadcaster said today that the "majority" of journalists currently working for Channel 5 News will move across to ITN, but Journalism.co.uk understands that a mix of voluntary and compulsory redundancies is likely to occur where current members of staff do not have the skills required to take on the new roles, with a focus on multi-skilling in some areas of news production.

"We’ve always said the majority of 5 News staff will be transferring to ITN and that the new service will launch with a comparable number of personnel," a spokesman said in a statement.

"We are currently in consultation with the workforce as we reconfigure roles on the service. As with any change, ITN does have different working practices to other news producers and we are supporting staff through this process."

The Guardian this morning put a figure of "about 16" on the number of redundancies it believes are due to take place. No figure has been confirmed, with ITN stressing that staff numbers will remain comparable and that it is supporting staff as it reconfigures roles.

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