Pact refocuses on lobbying after job cuts

UK producers’ association PACT is to refocus its attention on media policy and lobbying on behalf of membership. The organisation is implementing swingeing cuts following changes to its funding and will cut down involvement in other activities, including conferences.

PACT is reducing its workforce from over 30 to a core of 12 and the remaining staffers will work across a range of projects and not be dedicated to a particular sector. The catalyst for the changes was the loss of grants and levies from UK broadcasters. PACT subsequently reviewed its activities and the board were presented with a number of options before yesterday’s restructure was announced.

Chief executive John McVay told TBIvision that the changes were designed to sustain PACT for years to come. "Pact has been an effective trade body for twenty years and we want to make sure that’s the case for the next twenty," he said. "We have looked at what our members really valued."

McVay said PACT, which claims about 800 members, had been right to venture into events and training. "We wanted to do that, we wanted to lead the field" he said. "But other, commercial, players have come in and copied what we’ve done. We will still have a presence at the markets, we see that as business development."