EXCLUSIVE Crisis widens at ITV as Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women staff hauled into meeting by top boss - as the network's daytime roster faces huge cuts
The emergency meeting has been called by Emma Gormley, the managing director of Daytime at ITV Studios, amid the biggest changes to the daytime roster in the channel's history.
She wrote to 'all employees who work in ITV Studios Daytime', which includes big names like Susanna Reid, Ed Balls, Lorraine Kelly and Alison Hammond, to announce the briefing.
Sent on Monday evening it is said to have 'sent staff into a panic' when it landed in inboxes.
Sources said that the biggest fears are for Lorraine, as staff fear they might even axe the show as viewing figures have dwindled and Lorraine herself has faced criticism for her absences from the show.
ITV bosses, including Gormley and head of ITV News output Andrew Dagnell, were locked in a meeting on Tuesday morning hammering out how to deliver the news of the cuts.
The source added: 'Whatever the level of cuts are, they are likely to be large.'
The meeting will take place at 2pm on Tuesday at the Television Centre's 600-seater theatre.
She said: 'I'm going to be sending you an invite for a briefing happening tomorrow, which i's important you make every effort to attend.'
In efforts to stop leaks from the briefing, there was no option to join the announcement digitally.
Gormley wrote: 'I am sorry there's won't be the option to join virtually and we won't be recording the briefing, so we'd encourage you to please attend in person.'
For those who can't attend, the top television executive said that 'someone from the Daytime leadership team will call you following the meeting to brief you.'
It comes as Good Morning Britain is facing the biggest overhaul in its 11-year history as bosses try to cut costs.
And the plans for a revamp have given rise to fears of a 'mutiny' behind the scenes, with job losses looking likely for off-camera staff.
Executives want to retain much of the show's 'familiar feel', but they also hope the overhaul could narrow the gap with BBC Breakfast – which has led the ratings war between the pair.
Around 400,000 viewers separate the two titans, with GMB now pulling in 700,000 at most and its BBC competitor regularly seeing more than a million tuning in.
The revamp at ITV will see the breakfast show merged with the network's news operation, produced by ITN, alongside additional changes which are yet to be decided.
One option could include moving to a new studio – sparking alarm among staff behind the scenes – and another involves plans to make the show more like BBC Breakfast.
The shift to work with ITV News staff has prompted insiders to believe GMB will have a 'slightly more serious' approach than the current topical magazine format. These plans come a few months after ITV announced a new director of news and current affairs, Andrew Dagnell, who previously oversaw its network news output as editor of ITV News.
Union chiefs representing those working on the show have expressed 'concern' in internal memos, but insiders say the well-regarded new appointment is a big fan of its existing stars and unlikely to wield the axe.
A TV source said: 'Obviously any talk of major change starts panic – lots of the staff were immediately worried about the security of their jobs.
'This is about streamlining ITV's news output across the whole day, and having separate teams doubling up just doesn't make sense.
'So it may well be that some correspondents end up appearing across the whole day's schedule, rather than being specifically attached to GMB or ITV News.
'There could be a new set and a new feel, and a more continuous feel to ITV's news bulletins throughout the whole day as a result.
'But people are very much likely to lose their jobs so there is a lot of upset, anger and in some cases, mutiny.'
Since Piers Morgan's dramatic departure from the show in 2021, original presenter Susanna Reid has been joined by a merry-go-round of co-stars.
These have including Richard Madeley and former Labour politician Ed Balls – but none have proven to have the same drawing power as Morgan.
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