Changes to the ABC regional services will not lead to further job losses "at this stage", according to the national broadcaster.
The ABC will also close its online Arts Portal in 2016, shifting arts content to its web-based iview service and News Online.
Changes to regional radio and arts coverage were confirmed on Wednesday after ABC managing director Mark Scott told a Senate estimates hearing that more than 100 websites at the national broadcaster would be phased out. It is thought up to 50 regional positions will be scrapped, while another 50 new roles will be created.
ABC media manager Nick Leys said the creation of a new division called ABC Regional would not affect programming, but would instead allow the taxpayer-funded network to better fulfil the expectations of its audience.
"Basically there are no net job losses from the creation of ABC Regional," he said. "There are no redundancies at this stage. I mean this is still in the consultation period really because we're still working through what the division will look like.
"But at this stage there are no net job losses from the creation of ABC Regional."
Leys said the changes were not part of the ABC's redundancy program to remove around 400 employees following the federal government's funding cut of $254 million over five years announced in November.
"It's a restructure and people have to reapply for their jobs and things like that," he said.
"The 400 redundancies announced in November are separate to the creation of ABC Regional."
Leys also said the ABC is not reducing its coverage of the arts despite the closure of the ABC's Arts Portal in 2016.
"The current Arts Portal staff, and associated arts producers from across the ABC, will continue to produce the same volume of arts content, which we propose to deliver to audiences in the future via two of the most visited ABC properties – ABC iview and ABC News Online," Leys said.
Leys said the ABC Arts Portal would be phased out and replaced with a "new dedicated arts space" in iview and a "dedicated arts and culture vertical" in ABC News Online.
He said the changes were anticipated to increase the ABC's arts coverage, particularly in the creation of more arts video production.
Friends of the ABC spokeswoman Glenys Stradijot said the federal government's funding cuts had put the national broadcaster in an "impossible situation".
"But it's simply unacceptable for ABC management to be cutting crucial areas like the arts and regional serves which are already seriously neglected by commercial broadcasters," she said. "Before the ABC continues cutting areas for which the public broadcaster has a special responsibility, it must consult the community."
