For months the BBC’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, has been accused by his furious staff of wanting to move its coverage on to YouTube and other social media platforms.
And on Wednesday there was ‘mutiny’ among employees after their fears were proved right – when it was announced the corporation is to scrap its lunchtime and overnight sports bulletins on the 24-hour BBC News channel.
Mr Kay-Jelski, 41, held a meeting at the BBC’s Salford HQ where staff were told that 41 roles were to be made redundant in a bid to save the broadcaster £2.5million.
In the overhaul there will be five newly created positions as Mr Kay-Jelski is believed to want to focus on online analysis and club-specific content, as well as building digital audiences via social media and YouTube.
Much to the fury of loyal and long-serving employees it was also announced that four producers from the team responsible for sourcing stories are being made redundant – taking it down to 11 – which has left many fearful of the quality of their coverage.
Meanwhile, questions are being raised over Mr Kay-Jelski’s salary of between £275,000 and £279,999, which is significantly more than the £245,000 figure which was touted at the time the BBC was recruiting for the role.
For months the BBC’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski (pictured), has been accused by his furious staff of wanting to move its coverage on to YouTube
The BBC has refused to comment on whether he has had a pay rise since his arrival in June 2024 or whether he started on a higher sum.
The news of redundancies has prompted ‘much rage’ among those who work for Mr Kay-Jelski, at BBC Sport, with one insider telling the Daily Mail: ‘This is the most toxic environment I have ever worked in – people are being culled while he’s earning a fortune.
‘You can’t help but think that Alex isn’t interested in broadcast sport – for him it’s all about digital, YouTube and clickbait nonsense. That’s all very well, but what about the traditional viewer? The older generations are being forgotten as the BBC makes its cuts.’
Strike action is being considered by BBC staff, it is understood, over cuts imposed as part of plans by the broadcaster to slash 10 per cent of its workforce by 2028.
