One of BBC Scotland’s top presenters has confirmed her departure from the broadcaster – as it powers ahead with controversial plans to slash its workforce.
Anne McAlpine, most familiar to viewers for fronting flagship news programme Reporting Scotland, posted on social media that she is leaving her permanent role at the corporation after 14 years.
It comes as the Beeb looks to get rid of 60 roles north of the Border as part of plans to cut about a tenth of its total staff – with one former BBC Scotland broadcaster saying senior presenters are being pitted against each other to keep their jobs.
Ms McAlpine posted that she is ‘heading into a new chapter, with a huge amount of gratitude for the people, friendships, adventures and memories that have made it so special’.
The 40-year-old, who has also presented the farming and countryside programme Landward, detailed the wide variety of assignments her BBC role has included over the years.
‘There have been elections and documentaries, [Gaelic news programmes] Eòrpa and An Là, farms and parliaments, planes and boats, live television and long days in places I never expected to find myself – from Chernobyl to the Calais camp,’ she said.
‘I’ve covered news, weather, politics, sport, culture and rural life, collected an impressive number of hats and accumulated more tales than I know what to do with. It’s been a blast. I’ve learned an enormous amount, laughed, cried, travelled further than I ever could have imagined and met my wonderful husband along the way.’
She revealed that she will carry on working in broadcasting as a freelancer, and the BBC confirmed she will continue to narrate Scotland’s Home of the Year, which is made by an independent production company.
BBC Scotland presenter Anne McAlpine has fronted Reporting Scotland
Ms McAlpine added: ‘I’ve been working on a new project with my production company for BBC Alba – more on that when contractual restrictions allow.’
Her departure comes as the BBC seeks to save £500million and cut up to 2,000 jobs.
There is also uncertainty over the future of the BBC Scotland channel, due to what is believed to be a high cost per viewer, while the Mail reported last week that nearly 50,000 Scots had stopped paying their TV licence fee over the past year.
Former BBC Scotland business and economy editor Douglas Fraser, who left in March, recently wrote on online platform Substack about the job cuts at his former workplace.
‘Uncertainty is high: morale is low. Nine people are senior presenters at present. When the music stops, there will be seven seats left,’ he posted.
‘Among those in the firing line are the ubiquitous Martin Geissler, radio veterans Gary Robertson and Hayley Millar, Fiona Stalker, who was previously a reporter in Aberdeen, plus “all the Lauras”: Goodwin, Maciver, Maxwell and Miller.’
Former BBC Scotland business and economy editor Douglas Fraser
His comments came after fellow former BBC Scotland journalist James Shaw warned that bosses had failed in their ‘duty to manage and preserve the value of a vital public asset’ due to radical changes to Radio Scotland.
Also writing on Substack, he said the job of journalists at the station had been ‘made increasingly difficult by a long history of cuts’, adding that a ‘new wave of cuts is about to hit and one wonders what will be left when it is over’.
In her Instagram post, Ms McAlpine said of her departure that it was ‘very much a “see you soon” rather than “goodbye”’.
Those commenting included fellow BBC Scotland presenter Laura Maciver, who said: ‘Nobody does hats better, beautiful Anne! It’s always been a joy. Can’t wait to see what you do next.’
A spokesman for the BBC said: ‘As announced earlier this year, the BBC needs to save at least £500million over the next three years across the organisation.
‘BBC Scotland is making proportionate savings, and a review across all of our departments is ongoing as part of the process.’
He added that Ms McAlpine finished her stint with Reporting Scotland last week and will depart later this month.