UP TO 30 people at Meridian Broadcasting's studios in Southampton are to see their jobs absorbed elsewhere under the mammoth £4.5 billion Granada-Carlton merger.

The new single ITV company has been tasked with making savings of at least £55 million, and a range of cost-cutting measures are now under way at the Northam site.

Meridian's award-winning regional news service, Meridian Tonight, presented by Fred Dinenage and Debbie Thrower and viewed by nearly half a million viewers each evening, is unaffected by the 'efficiency' shake-up.

But both the network programmes department and Granada Sport, which makes Saturday afternoon's Goalrush, are to be placed under one content division, possibly in London, as part of a nationwide grouping.

Industry analysts say there are currently too many empty TV studios with outdated technology, located in expensive buildings, dotted around the country.

Meridian, which is owned by Granada, is at the forefront of change, and is regarded by merger bosses as a 'blueprint' for reorganisation.

But one insider said: "Morale generally is low because everyone is expecting a big shake-up - they fear the axe because of the merger."

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, the riverside base at Northam, where more than 300 people work, is set to be sold off to house developers for at least £5m.

An official announcement on the future of the site, which dates back to 1958, is expected early next month.

Remaining staff, including the Meridian Tonight team, will be told where their new office will be.

It is understood that Whiteley, near Fareham, just off the M27, is a strong contender, with just news being produced there.

Meridian's managing director, Lindsay Charlton, stressed there will be "no retreating" in licence commitments to regional news and regional programmes.

However, he admitted there will clearly be general job losses further down the line due to the period of "great change".

Mr Charlton said: "Meridian's network programme output has included some highly acclaimed productions, such as No Child Of Mine, international yacht racing, and currently I Want That House, of which we are justly proud.

"But new technology and modern programme-making styles mean that it is no longer necessary for production teams to be studio based."

One industry insider said the independent TV networks of old had been living off the fat of the land in the past, with costly inefficiencies.