Vienna - Austrian public broadcaster ORF said Thursday it was planning to reduce its workforce by around 1,000 until 2012, a cut by nearly 30 per cent, as the company faces lower advertising sales and increasing competition.

ORF director-general Bernhard Wrabetz told staff members that the headcount would decrease from more than 3,400 to below 2,500 by outsourcing the engineering department, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and other departments.

In addition, employees will be laid off or sent into early retirement, Austrian news agency APA reported.

ORF expects to end the year with losses of 100 million euros (130 million dollars), compared with minus 29 million euros in 2008, due to falling advertising sales and growing competition from private broadcasters.

"We don't see any cost reduction, but rather an existential threat," said Bernhard Ziegler, a representative of the radio orchestra's work council. dpa