BritishBroadcasting Corp. News and Current Affairs Director James Hardingtold staff that BBC News(UK) and BBC WorldNews will continue operating as separate channels, Broadcast reported July 14.

Harding reportedly said combining the two channels will not serve the bestinterests of British andglobal viewers, despite "strong arguments" favoring the proposedcost-cutting measure.

However, the public broadcaster will still need to cut costsof up to 10% on both channels, according to the report.

In a news release that same day, the U.K.'s National Unionof Journalists welcomed the pronouncement, saying it is ready to talk with theBBC management about how to deliver the savings without slashing jobs.