The director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), Yosef Barel, has presented his restructuring plan to the IBA managing committee. Under the plan, the Foreign Service of Israel Radio will close. The plan has been necessitated by the government’s planned budget cut of 230m new Israeli shekels (about 52m US dollars) in the period through 2006. The plan will see 200 employees taking early retirement, saving 30m new Israeli shekels (just under 7m US dollars).
The IBA will also save 65m new Israeli shekels (14.7m US dollars) by merging or closing some of its networks.