Weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker is reportedly considering quitting the BBC along with two other long-serving presenters amid major cuts announced by the broadcaster
Tomasz Schafernaker and Louise Lear are reportedly ‘considering quitting’ BBC Weather amid cuts (Image: BBC)
Tomasz Schafernaker, and two other presenters are reportedly considering quitting the BBC. The meteorologist, 47, first joined BBC Weather in 2000 and is currently the lead presenter.
But now, insiders have claimed that the broadcaster is planning to downsize its national weather team, and it’s thought that Tomasz, along with fellow long-serving presenters Louise Lear and Darren Bett are “”considering voluntary redundancy” following the huge changes to the brand that were announced last week.
The BBC initially claimed that they were planning to “make more of their much-loved local weather presenters,” which would mean a reduction in those who present on a national basis. A source said: “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.”
Speaking to The Times, one presenter added: “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.”
In 2006, Tomasz became famous when he jokingly raised his middle finger to newsreader Simon McCoy live on air and enjoyed a media career off the back off it, going on to model for magazines and appear on TV shows like Celebrity MasterChef, Would I Lie To You?, Pointless Celebrities, and The Weakest Link.
Meanwhile, Darren presented Look North before becoming part of the launch team for BBC News 24 in 1997, and is currently the main weather presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live. Before joining the BBC in 1998, Louise worked as a weather presenter for Central Television, has been seen on Countryfile and is regularly fronts the weather segment on BBC News At Six.
Another presenter told the outlet that whilst there is still an audience for weather, there is a push to lean towards a more digital output with the genre.
The insider said: “The appetite for weather has massively grown, but people standing in front of a map giving a national picture is less relevant. We are going to be more digital-focused because there’s a really strong argument that what is now needed is more reporting than presenting.”
The BBC initially cut ties with the Met Office service in 2017 and turned to Dutch MeteoGroup, which was the acquired by the US weather services company DTN, for their meteorological output. But last year, a new deal was put in place which meant the broadcaster would reunite with the UK’s national weather and climate service.
Announcing the changes and a more digital approach to the output following the summer heatwave, BBC News’ interim CEO Jonathan Munro 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.”
It all comes amid what the BBC has called a £500 million cost-cutting drive, with staple programmes Live at the Apollo, Blankety Blank and Celebrity Mastermind having already faced the axe.
Executives are aiming for at least £100 million in yearly recurring savings, which will eventually cut original television output by 100 to 150 hours across the broadcaster.
Falling audiences also had a significant influence on the decisions. Live at the Apollo plummeted from 1.3 million viewers in 2018 to approximately 660,000 for its most recent series.
Meanwhile, Celebrity Mastermind tumbled from an average of 4 million viewers in 2017 to 1.7 million. Blankety Blank similarly dropped from 5.5 million viewers during its 2021 debut to 2.3 million. BBC One’s Breakfast will no longer air on Sunday mornings from September whilst the production teams making Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg and Newsnight will merge.
Radio 4’s The World Tonight will end from September, and the number of permanent presenters on Today will be cut from five to four with a single anchor on the show on Saturdays. World Tonight is being replaced by Newshour, and Breakfast on Sunday is being replaced by the BBC News Channel.
The Mirror has contacted representatives for comment.
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