100 more jobs to go at Carlton

100 more jobs to go at Carlton

Carlton is set to axe a further 100 jobs after posting losses of £409m in its end of year results, writes Steve Aston

The decision, which follows the announcement by its ITV partner Granada last week that it planned to cut 430 jobs, will take the number of jobs cut at the broadcaster to over 400 in the last year. The company is also slashing 250 jobs from ITV Digital, its ailing joint venture with Granada. Carlton employs around 3,000 staff.

Results for the 12 months ending 30 September saw Carlton record a drop of 13 per cent in its advertising revenue to £603.7m. Profits in its TV business fell 46 per cent to £98m. The company's turnover fell 22 per cent to £1.601.5m mainly due to its sale of Technicolor to Thomson last December.

ITV Digital accounted for losses of £175.7m up from £144.3m in the previous year. Carlton's overall losses in digital media grew from £215m last year to £273m in 2001 - the fall was due to failed ventures such as Carlton Food Network channel and its investment in the internet.

The company moved to lift some if its debt burden on Friday when it announced a bond exchange in shares of the Thomson group, which will raise £389.6m. The transaction will be settled next month.

(Source: Broadcast)

Blimey, things aren't looking at all good for ITV at the minute, are they? Perhaps someone should start a US-stylee 'ITV in crisis' thread...

This is the problem of a united Carlton/Granada controlling ITV - we're basically going to end up with a very poor, corporatised channel, where regional identity is cut back more and more because, quite simply, they can't be bothered to pay for it. On this side of the channel, neither TF1 or France 2 show any regional news - could this be the future of ITV?

Yup, it's all the fault of the suits and their stupid fools' errand that is ITV Digital, and it's the profit-making ITV regional companies that'll bear the brunt of the fallout.

It is interesting to note that SMG, Channel and UTV all made profits this year. It's not the fault of regionality at ITV, but that's what'll take the strain.

I feel sorry for the staff employed at ITV Digital, but really it has to go, to be replaced with a FTA network like it always should have been.

Exactly! What on earth possessed the government to allow Carlton/Granada to merge??? The old rules limiting the amount of ITV ownership by one company were there for a reason - to stop this kind of thing happening. I just can't understand what the public will gain from having a 'united' ITV - and it's blatantly obvious what they'll lose.

Interesting about SMG, Ulster etc making profit - the ones who wouldn't join the corporate look when it launched. Here we have proper regional telly, the way it should be.

Picture it...

4th March 2002

News Headline:

Carlton Television in sell out talks with Thames
Huge shake up of the network to safeguard a digital ITV

31st December 2002

TV Announcer:

Well that's all we have time for here on Carlton, we've hoped you've enjoyed the past nine years as much as we have. Don't forget that as of tomorrow you'll be watching Thames Television in London, Central Televsion in the Midlands and Westcountry in the South West.

We leave you with the Chimes of Big Ben and a lot of happy memories, goodnight....

(Carlton logo fades into picture of Big Ben)

If we all wish hard enough this Christmas and all be good little boys and girls it may just happen