The BBC is set to axe Radio 4's The World Tonight after more than half a century as part of huge cuts designed to save the corporation £500million.A further 550 jobs will be slashed from its news, television and radio operations as part of a sweeping cost-cutting drive that will also see programmes axed and £80million stripped from content spending.BBC Breakfast has also been put on the chopping block and will no longer be shown on Sundays from September.Meanwhile, the production teams making Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg and Newsnight will merge.New director-general Matt Brittin revealed the scale of the cuts to staff in an email, confirming that more than a quarter of the corporation's planned 1,800 to 2,000 redundancies will come from editorial and broadcasting teams.The move forms part of the broadcaster's bid to save £500million over the next two years, with around 700 corporate roles also expected to disappear as the corporation embarks on a major restructuring programme.The BBC reports that an email sent to staff by the interim chief executive officer of BBC News Jonathan Munro has outlined the jobs and programmes impacted, with The World Tonight among the first victims of the planned cuts. The 45-minute weekday news programme will be axed after 56 years on air, while the presenters on BBC Radio 4’s Today show will be reduced from five to four. BBC Breakfast has had its schedule cut and will not be aired on Sundays from September New director-general Matt Brittin revealed the scale of the cuts to staff in an email, confirming that more than a quarter of the corporation's planned 1,800 to 2,000 redundancies will come from editorial and broadcasting teamsMr Munro said the proposals include 200 job losses in the news division resulting in savings of £25million, according to the BBC.Other plans in the announcement include TV production at weekends being shared across the News Channel and BBC One bulletins.Broadcast TV channels and the radio network portfolio will also be reviewed as audiences move online.The corporation will also review its chief news presenter roles.Those roles include Clive Myrie, Ben Brown, Sally Bundock and Geeta Guru-Murthy.Victoria Derbyshire and Faisal Islam are also chief presenters on Newsnight, while Jon Kay and Sally Nugent are chief presenters on BBC Breakfast.Around 100 to 150 hours of originated programmes across all commissioning genres will be reduced by the end of the 2027 to 2028 financial year.The BBC also reported that it plans to reduce between 350 and 400 hours in audio across stations and genres whilst the News Channel will shift toward an international focus in hopes of broadening its audience outside the UK.Job cuts will also impact around 700 corporate roles, with those announced in April set to take place over the next three years.The BBC will also review its portfolio of television channels and radio networks as more viewers and listeners move online, although it has not yet revealed which programmes or services could face the axe.In his message to staff, Brittin warned that difficult decisions lay ahead.He wrote: 'The scale of savings requires tough choices, careful work and won't all be ready at once. We are committed to letting you know as soon as we have plans in your area. All divisions will be making significant savings…'We live in very uncertain times. Our audiences rely on us every day to keep them informed, entertained and equipped to make sense of the world.'Making savings while fulfilling our mission means a doubly difficult time for everyone. Do speak to your leaders and use the support that's available. In the meantime, thank-you for all you are doing.' The BBC will also review its portfolio of television channels and radio networks as more viewers and listeners move onlineThe corporation hopes that the cuts affecting BBC News, television and radio will contribute around £160million towards its overall savings target.Brittin also told employees the BBC would reduce the number of senior leaders by 'at least' 10 per cent in a bid to make the organisation 'simpler and faster'.The former Google executive, who took over as director-general in May, said further details of the restructuring would be announced 'in the months ahead'.He is due to host an all-staff question-and-answer session next Tuesday at 2pm.The announcement prompted an immediate warning from broadcasting union Bectu that the latest round of cuts risks damaging the BBC's long-term future.Philippa Childs, the union's head of media and entertainment, said it was 'far from ideal' that the redundancies were taking place while the corporation's Royal Charter renewal process is under way.She said: 'I'm not sure how you can make informed decisions about the long-term future of the organisation when it will be in a substantially diminished place at the end of the process than the beginning.'In an era of fake news and an industry that is becoming more concentrated in the hands of a few multinational corporations, the UK needs a confident, ambitious and sustainably-funded BBC more than ever.'The charter renewal must put the BBC's funding on a secure, long-term pathway or it risks death by a thousand cuts.'While acknowledging the redundancies had been anticipated, Childs warned they would still have a profound impact.She said the cuts were 'expected', but would 'still be devastating for the workforce and to the BBC as a whole'.She added: 'Ten per cent cuts when real terms income from the licence fee is already down £1.3billion in the last decade is significant and will affect the BBC's ability to deliver its public service mission.'It seems clear that cuts will have a direct impact on programming and output, and audiences will also notice the effects.'Bectu is actively engaging with the BBC to mitigate the impact as much as possible, and we will support members facing redundancy as well as those who will see their workloads drastically change.'The latest overhaul follows Brittin's appointment as director-general in May after Tim Davie stepped down in November 2025. Davie resigned following editorial coverage that resulted in a ten billion dollar (£7.5billion) lawsuit being brought by US President Donald Trump over the editing of a Panorama documentary.