BBC Weather presenters Tomasz Schafernaker, Louise Lear and Darren Bett are reportedly considering voluntary redundancy after the broadcaster announced major cuts to the weather department. The changes, revealed on July 30, aim to make weather services more digital and local, in response to audiences' increasing use of digital platforms for forecasts.
Roles slashed from 11 to 4.5
As part of the plan, the number of national presenter roles will be reduced from 11 to 4.5, downsizing the meteorology team. The BBC stated: "Our move to a more digital focus is backed by audience research we have carried out which shows clearly that weather apps are now the main source of weather forecast information across all age groups."
None of the presenters have yet taken up the redundancy offer, but the move has thrown the department into chaos. The cuts are part of the BBC's wider plan to save £500 million over two years, which will result in up to 2,000 job losses.
Presenters' long service
Tomasz has been with the corporation since 2000 and appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2019. Louise has hosted bulletins on TV and radio for nearly 30 years. Darren was part of the original launch team for BBC News 24 in 1997, having previously worked for local Look North.
A source told The Times: "It's the end of an era for our weather presenting. The audience wants a bit of digital and TV - including a good old fashioned forecast."
A weather presenter also indicated to the publication that the team should be protected from wider cuts: "The team is already very lean and punched above its weight for many years producing a huge amount of output across all platforms 24 hours a day. It isn't fair to compare it to the behemoth that is the rest of BBC News."
Changes to broadcasts
Going forward, the Today programme, BBC Breakfast, and weekday editions of News at Six will feature separate national forecasts from network weather presenters. Half-hourly updates on the news channel are being scrapped in favour of automated forecast graphics. Programme presenters and announcers will read the forecast on radio, eradicating the need for a specialist weather presenter.
Jonathan Munro, Interim CEO of BBC News, said: "As this summer's heatwaves have proved, up-to-the minute and accurate weather information has never been more important. I'm looking forward to our partnership with the Met Office - this is a very apt time for our two trusted national institutions to be reunited."
The BBC declined to comment on the individual presenters' situation when contacted by Express.co.uk.
