KEY POINTS:
TVNZ plans to choose which staff lose their jobs, rather than call for volunteers.
The broadcaster told workers by email yesterday it did not intend to call for applications for voluntary redundancy. While workers could talk to human resources about their situation, there was "no commitment" employees wanting redundancy would get it.
"The objective will be to put the right people in the right roles," the email said.
Chief executive Rick Ellis confirmed this week that up to 160 jobs will go - around a third from the company's news and current affairs team.
Mr Ellis called the number a "guesstimate".
Few details were available about which workers would go in the revamp - including whether any would be high-profile employees - but job losses would be spread across departments.
The announcement followed the resignation of former news and current affairs boss Bill Ralston late last month.
The state broadcaster has been under pressure, with several high profile staff leaving under strained circumstances, and ratings falling for TV One's One News.
Advertising revenues for the year to June 2006 fell by $9.3 million.
It is understood the company needs to trim around $30 million at the same time as it responds to new media developments and launches two new channels, including a 24-hour news channel, under its digital television obligations.
Mr Ellis will this week announce the next layer of the restructure, which concerns roles that report to the executive team, with the layer after that set to be revealed in May.
A company-wide presentation is planned by Ellis for tomorrow and he will address the news and current affairs department on Friday.
"All these proposed structures and roles will be out for consultation for two weeks," he said in an internal email.
Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said members were concerned by the scale of the cuts.
"The principal thing they're concerned about is that a broadcaster that has charter obligations and has also pledged to establish a 24-hour news channel is cutting back," he said on Radio New Zealand yesterday.
TVNZ has about 1100 staff in total, with about 300 of them in news and current affairs.
Spokeswoman Megan Richards said this month it was estimated there were just over 130 full-time equivalent producing and reporting positions in the news and current affairs team.
She said there were around 23 producers and 25 reporters for current affairs and around 24 producers and 64 reporters for news. Other jobs in the department included editors, researchers, directors, camera and sound operators and administrators.
TVNZ FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT JOBS
Current Affairs
Producers 23
Reporters 25
News
Producers 24
Reporters 64
Source: TVNZ
