Post by Teddy Bear on Jun 28, 2010 21:36:01 GMT
I find the only element perhaps more absurd than the arrogance displayed by the BBC elite, are the sycophant public that continue to buy into the crap they spew out. Those that are convinced of the value they get for their licence fee payout. Seems ignorance and arrogance go hand in hand and feed off each other.
The director general Mark Thompson has in the past claimed he can earn three times his current £834,000 pay in the commercial sector.
This would mean he would get a paid £2.5million by a commercial rival Yet nobody in the commercial sector earns that kind of money - so which planet is he referring to? How grateful we should be that he condescends to do the job that he does and is so vastly underpaid. poor man- but lucky us
The director general Mark Thompson has in the past claimed he can earn three times his current £834,000 pay in the commercial sector.
This would mean he would get a paid £2.5million by a commercial rival Yet nobody in the commercial sector earns that kind of money - so which planet is he referring to? How grateful we should be that he condescends to do the job that he does and is so vastly underpaid. poor man- but lucky us
BBC announces tough new rules to cap salaries... but they won't apply to fat cats
By Paul Revoir
Pay restrictions: The BBC's Caroline Thomson today announced a cap on the salaries of new recruits
The BBC has announced tough new rules to restrict the salaries it pays out - but they will not apply to the legion of fat cats already on six figure sums.
The corporation's chief operating officer Caroline Thomson said today that all new senior managers recruited by the BBC would be paid 'tens of per cents less' than their competitors in the commercial sector.
Miss Thomson, the corporation's most powerful woman, said the BBC would have a 'new transparent remuneration policy' which would set out 'the clear and explicit discount' against the private sector when setting senior manager pay.
While this is the first time it has essentially put a cap on the salaries for new recruits, it does nothing to reduce the lavish salaries for long-serving top bosses.
Critics have also claimed the plans are 'meaningless' and question the broadcaster's ability to get accurate figures for the pay of rivals like ITV when they do not make them public.
There is also criticism that the BBC has so far resisted any pay cuts despite the financial climate.
While the Prime Minister David Cameron and his cabinet have all taken a drop in pay for their roles, the corporation has stopped short, only insisting on a pay freeze and bonus cut for its top executives.
The broadcaster pays 382 of its senior staff over £100,000 a year, with 117 earning more than the new Prime Minister's £142,500 a year.
Tonight former Channel Five chief executive David Elstein, a vocal critic of BBC pay hit out at the plans.
He said: 'It is all completely irrelevant. It is a completely made up justification for very high salaries.
'It is a completely absurd comparison. You are in the public sector not the private sector. The BBC should be paying the minimum it can get away with not some discount on what somebody in a highly profitable business earns.'
He added: 'These are all just ways of ignoring reality.'
There are also question marks over the BBC's ability to come up with sensible 'discounts' as part of the new plans. The director general Mark Thompson has in the past claimed he can earn three times his current £834,000 pay in the commercial sector.
This would mean he would get a paid £2.5million by a commercial rival - a suggestion which many in the industry simply do not believe.
Even Channel 4's recently departed chief executive Andy Duncan could not manage that amount of money. He got £1.5million last year and that included a pay off and a long term incentive plan as well as his salary.
ITV's former executive chairman Michael Grade got £934,000 before he left.
This has sparked concerns that the BBC's maths are all wrong on what their bosses could be earning in the commercial sector.
This comes after Miss Thomson, paid £330,000 a year recently admitted that the corporation had 'clearly' got senior pay levels a 'bit wrong'.
She added that it 'may not be doing enough' to reduce them and 'may have made mistakes in where we've got to'.
Speaking at the Future of Broadcasting conference in London today Miss Thomson claimed the BBC would be adopting a 'grow your own' policy towards senior manager and on-air talent in an attempt to 'push the culture back a bit'.
She said: 'More management talent will be trained within the BBC to senior management level rather than relying on external hiring. So, for both on air talent and senior managers 'grow your own' will increasingly be the policy from now on.'
Miss Thomson added: 'We recognise we are not perfect, we should be scrutinised and at times we should have done better - but the BBC does deliver something important to Britain.'
The Government has said it will give the National Audit Office full access to the BBC's accounts to see how it spends its £3.6billion licence fee.
The BBC Trust has told the executive arm of the broadcaster to cut senior pay by 25 per cent over three years. Miss Thomson said that a pay freeze and bonus cut would effectively mean a pay of 14 per cent for senior bosses.
By Paul Revoir
Pay restrictions: The BBC's Caroline Thomson today announced a cap on the salaries of new recruits
The BBC has announced tough new rules to restrict the salaries it pays out - but they will not apply to the legion of fat cats already on six figure sums.
The corporation's chief operating officer Caroline Thomson said today that all new senior managers recruited by the BBC would be paid 'tens of per cents less' than their competitors in the commercial sector.
Miss Thomson, the corporation's most powerful woman, said the BBC would have a 'new transparent remuneration policy' which would set out 'the clear and explicit discount' against the private sector when setting senior manager pay.
While this is the first time it has essentially put a cap on the salaries for new recruits, it does nothing to reduce the lavish salaries for long-serving top bosses.
Critics have also claimed the plans are 'meaningless' and question the broadcaster's ability to get accurate figures for the pay of rivals like ITV when they do not make them public.
There is also criticism that the BBC has so far resisted any pay cuts despite the financial climate.
While the Prime Minister David Cameron and his cabinet have all taken a drop in pay for their roles, the corporation has stopped short, only insisting on a pay freeze and bonus cut for its top executives.
The broadcaster pays 382 of its senior staff over £100,000 a year, with 117 earning more than the new Prime Minister's £142,500 a year.
Tonight former Channel Five chief executive David Elstein, a vocal critic of BBC pay hit out at the plans.
He said: 'It is all completely irrelevant. It is a completely made up justification for very high salaries.
'It is a completely absurd comparison. You are in the public sector not the private sector. The BBC should be paying the minimum it can get away with not some discount on what somebody in a highly profitable business earns.'
He added: 'These are all just ways of ignoring reality.'
There are also question marks over the BBC's ability to come up with sensible 'discounts' as part of the new plans. The director general Mark Thompson has in the past claimed he can earn three times his current £834,000 pay in the commercial sector.
This would mean he would get a paid £2.5million by a commercial rival - a suggestion which many in the industry simply do not believe.
Even Channel 4's recently departed chief executive Andy Duncan could not manage that amount of money. He got £1.5million last year and that included a pay off and a long term incentive plan as well as his salary.
ITV's former executive chairman Michael Grade got £934,000 before he left.
This has sparked concerns that the BBC's maths are all wrong on what their bosses could be earning in the commercial sector.
This comes after Miss Thomson, paid £330,000 a year recently admitted that the corporation had 'clearly' got senior pay levels a 'bit wrong'.
She added that it 'may not be doing enough' to reduce them and 'may have made mistakes in where we've got to'.
Speaking at the Future of Broadcasting conference in London today Miss Thomson claimed the BBC would be adopting a 'grow your own' policy towards senior manager and on-air talent in an attempt to 'push the culture back a bit'.
She said: 'More management talent will be trained within the BBC to senior management level rather than relying on external hiring. So, for both on air talent and senior managers 'grow your own' will increasingly be the policy from now on.'
Miss Thomson added: 'We recognise we are not perfect, we should be scrutinised and at times we should have done better - but the BBC does deliver something important to Britain.'
The Government has said it will give the National Audit Office full access to the BBC's accounts to see how it spends its £3.6billion licence fee.
The BBC Trust has told the executive arm of the broadcaster to cut senior pay by 25 per cent over three years. Miss Thomson said that a pay freeze and bonus cut would effectively mean a pay of 14 per cent for senior bosses.