Post by Teddy Bear on Mar 26, 2011 17:48:35 GMT
Here's a story that will highlight the BBC mindset, and show just how remote they are from the real world. It also appears that many of the cuts to their programming they are talking about making now , has more to do with not having the creativity to fill them with anything of worth, than as a result of their present budget.
Their biggest problem is they don't have the talent,, or ability to recognize it, regardless of how much money they were given. Now they will justify their mediocrity as 'lack of funding', but they will continue to feed themselves at the trough.
Their biggest problem is they don't have the talent,, or ability to recognize it, regardless of how much money they were given. Now they will justify their mediocrity as 'lack of funding', but they will continue to feed themselves at the trough.
'You'll struggle to spend your budget': What BBC boss was told before he gave Jonathan Ross an £18m contract
By Paul Revoir
Last updated at 1:03 AM on 26th March 2011
The BBC chief who handed Jonathan Ross his infamous £18million contract was told he would ‘struggle to spend’ his channel’s budget.
Peter Fincham, who ran BBC 1 for two years, described the role as a ‘lovely job because ... you are given, bluntly, quite a lot of money to spend’.
He revealed that soon after taking over the channel in 2005, a senior accountant informed him that it was getting far more licence fee cash than it needed.
Mr Fincham, now in charge of ITV’s programming, admitted to Richard Bacon on Radio 5 Live that he had initially struggled to comprehend the finances involved with controlling BBC1, which costs £1.4billion a year to run.
He said: ‘The most memorable words said to me in my whole time at the BBC were in my very first few days when I was being talked through the budget, and I was very new to it and I didn’t really understand how it worked.
‘I was talked through it, and I said to my finance manager, “Well, I can’t really take all that in at one go, but just answer me one question – is it enough?” and she said, “Oh Peter! You’ll struggle to spend it”. I remembered that as long as I was at the BBC.’
He said things were very different away from the corporation. ‘When you go from the BBC to the commercial world, and where I am now, ITV, you do realise the big difference.
‘The BBC, when you are there, is different than when you go away from it and look back at it over your shoulder. It looks different then because of course ... it has this unique form of funding, it has the licence fee, so the money keeps coming in.’
Fincham signed Ross on his three-year, £18million contract in 2006. At the time, he said: ‘Jonathan is a uniquely talented broadcaster and is at the very top of his game.
‘He’s one of the defining faces of BBC1 and his Friday night chat show is the best in the business. We’re all delighted he’s staying.’
But the deal quickly went sour. After the credit crunch set in in 2007, Ross’s salary was seen as impossible to justify as the country headed towards a recession.
And following a series of complaints about his smutty behaviour on his television programme, Ross was suspended for lewd prank calls made with comedian Russell Brand to actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter, which were broadcast on Radio 2.
He quit the corporation at the end of the deal last year.
Mr Fincham resigned from the BBC himself in 2007 after another scandal, dubbed ‘Crowngate’, which saw a promotional clip wrongly imply that the Queen had stormed out of a photoshoot.
He said of his former role: ‘BBC 1 is a lovely job because it is a wonderful channel and you are given, bluntly, quite a lot of money to spend and you are told to get on and spend it.’
Mr Bacon, who pointed out to Mr Fincham that the station’s budget had grown further since he left, said: ‘The phrase “you’ll struggle to spend it” – the implication from that is the BBC takes more money, has more money than it actually needs.’
Mr Fincham replied: ‘Certainly at that time, and I can’t comment on now, BBC 1 was a well-funded channel.
‘One of the challenges of running the BBC is that you have a big schedule to fill with big programmes and you have got to work hard to fill that schedule with big programmes.’
The BBC declined to comment.
By Paul Revoir
Last updated at 1:03 AM on 26th March 2011
The BBC chief who handed Jonathan Ross his infamous £18million contract was told he would ‘struggle to spend’ his channel’s budget.
Peter Fincham, who ran BBC 1 for two years, described the role as a ‘lovely job because ... you are given, bluntly, quite a lot of money to spend’.
He revealed that soon after taking over the channel in 2005, a senior accountant informed him that it was getting far more licence fee cash than it needed.
Mr Fincham, now in charge of ITV’s programming, admitted to Richard Bacon on Radio 5 Live that he had initially struggled to comprehend the finances involved with controlling BBC1, which costs £1.4billion a year to run.
He said: ‘The most memorable words said to me in my whole time at the BBC were in my very first few days when I was being talked through the budget, and I was very new to it and I didn’t really understand how it worked.
‘I was talked through it, and I said to my finance manager, “Well, I can’t really take all that in at one go, but just answer me one question – is it enough?” and she said, “Oh Peter! You’ll struggle to spend it”. I remembered that as long as I was at the BBC.’
He said things were very different away from the corporation. ‘When you go from the BBC to the commercial world, and where I am now, ITV, you do realise the big difference.
‘The BBC, when you are there, is different than when you go away from it and look back at it over your shoulder. It looks different then because of course ... it has this unique form of funding, it has the licence fee, so the money keeps coming in.’
Fincham signed Ross on his three-year, £18million contract in 2006. At the time, he said: ‘Jonathan is a uniquely talented broadcaster and is at the very top of his game.
‘He’s one of the defining faces of BBC1 and his Friday night chat show is the best in the business. We’re all delighted he’s staying.’
But the deal quickly went sour. After the credit crunch set in in 2007, Ross’s salary was seen as impossible to justify as the country headed towards a recession.
And following a series of complaints about his smutty behaviour on his television programme, Ross was suspended for lewd prank calls made with comedian Russell Brand to actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter, which were broadcast on Radio 2.
He quit the corporation at the end of the deal last year.
Mr Fincham resigned from the BBC himself in 2007 after another scandal, dubbed ‘Crowngate’, which saw a promotional clip wrongly imply that the Queen had stormed out of a photoshoot.
He said of his former role: ‘BBC 1 is a lovely job because it is a wonderful channel and you are given, bluntly, quite a lot of money to spend and you are told to get on and spend it.’
Mr Bacon, who pointed out to Mr Fincham that the station’s budget had grown further since he left, said: ‘The phrase “you’ll struggle to spend it” – the implication from that is the BBC takes more money, has more money than it actually needs.’
Mr Fincham replied: ‘Certainly at that time, and I can’t comment on now, BBC 1 was a well-funded channel.
‘One of the challenges of running the BBC is that you have a big schedule to fill with big programmes and you have got to work hard to fill that schedule with big programmes.’
The BBC declined to comment.