Job cuts feared at Emap Radio in Scotland

Journalists at Emap radio stations across Scotland are facing an uncertain year ahead amid speculation about possible cost-cutting.

The Sunday Herald reported that Emap bosses emailed managers days before Christmas to say that plummeting advertising and magazine closures abroad meant the company was on a ‘war footing’and looking to undertake a cost cutting drive.

According to the Herald report, the biggest cutbacks are feared to be in the newsrooms that could see output from Scotland slashed to just two hubs in the north and south of the country with a minimal number of journalists. There is speculation that the move could see Glasgow station Radio Clyde edit, produce and broadcast all news bulletins for the south of Scotland while Aberdeen or Dundee will do the same for the north and that Scottish AM stations could see all of their content, with the exception of the breakfast shows, dominated by syndicated output.

An Emap spokeswoman told Press Gazette: ‘That is pure speculation that springs from information contained in our interim results released last year. ‘We spoke openly about our need, as a company, to reassess our strategy across all business areas.

‘We are looking to implement effective spending across divisions and that includes radio but that process is not complete yet, therefore there is nothing to announce as yet.’Emap currently owns 13 radio stations in Scotland following its purchase of Scottish Radio Holdings in June 2005.