Dubai:Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC, announced on Monday it is expanding its Mideast presence with the opening of a second post in the region.
“ABC News will open a new post in Beirut to extend our coverage of the Middle East,” said a spokesperson by email.
The broadcaster already has a post in Occupied Jerusalem.
The spokesperson said the ABC was unable to provide more details on the new Beirut post, including when it will open or how many reporters would be assigned, as planning has just started.
The ABC currently has two reporters, Matt Brown and Hayden Cooper, covering the Middle East.
The broadcaster has no plans to open other posts in the region, the spokesperson said.
Monday’s announcement from the Australian broadcaster, which was first made public on its website, is part of a series of changes in response to a $254 million funding cut by the federal government.
Managing Director Mark Scott told staff more than 400 jobs – nearly 10 per cent of its workforce – are at risk, according to the ABC website.
The ABC said it will restructure its foreign bureaus, including turning London, Washington, Jakarta and Beijing into “multiplatform hubs” and close its Auckland bureau.
Earlier this month, The Guardian Australia reported the ABC plans to scale back it’s Tokyo, Bangkok, New Dehli and New Zealand bureaus and that the Middle East bureau – Occupied Jerusalem – was under review. The ABC also has a bureau in Africa.
The ABC reported on Monday the number of correspondents will stay the same, including the newly created role of chief foreign correspondent.
The ABC also announced changes to operations in Australia including axing several regional posts.
Last year, the ABC closed its Moscow bureau after more than two decades in the Russian capital.
