Post by Teddy Bear on Nov 5, 2011 18:41:24 GMT
Former Sun editor has this to say about the BBC
Why the BBC must dump its greedy pundits
Last updated at 11:40 AM on 5th November 2011
Never forget — it’s our money. How many times must Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, be told this before he understands that his Corporation is financed by licence-fee-payers? And if he doesn’t understand, then in these difficult times, let’s find a replacement who does.
It has just been revealed that Alan Hansen is paid an incredible £40,000 a show as a pundit on BBC’s Match Of The Day. Hansen is said to get £1.5 million a year and is contracted to appear on about half of the 70 shows screened during the football season.
I know a little about the price of punditry because I own a tiny online sports television channel. My bet is that many former footballers would appear for nothing for the chance of giving their views on such a high-profile programme.
Ex-players are desperate to get into the media and enjoy the chance of being famous again.
At the very most, BBC bosses should only have to pay a £1,000 fee per show, plus taxis.
The BBC argues that the calibre of pundits is an important part of Match Of The Day. Rubbish! Viewers are mostly interested in the goals and the games. If the producers believe otherwise, why don’t they turn the programme into a football chat show instead? If they did, the audience would plummet from three million to three.
The spin-offs from appearing on the BBC have been hugely lucrative for Hansen. He has been chosen as the face of the supermarket Morrisons and has a ghosted national newspaper column. Would he have picked up these nice little earners without having appeared on Match Of The Day? Of course not. So why are we paying him at all?
The BBC might argue that Hansen could always defect to Sky. So what? He could join ITV. So what? If he did, he would be paid by commercial broadcasters.
Working for the BBC, he’s being paid with my — and your — money. I don’t want to pay him £40k a show. I don’t want to pay him £40k a year. Do you?
Last updated at 11:40 AM on 5th November 2011
Never forget — it’s our money. How many times must Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, be told this before he understands that his Corporation is financed by licence-fee-payers? And if he doesn’t understand, then in these difficult times, let’s find a replacement who does.
It has just been revealed that Alan Hansen is paid an incredible £40,000 a show as a pundit on BBC’s Match Of The Day. Hansen is said to get £1.5 million a year and is contracted to appear on about half of the 70 shows screened during the football season.
I know a little about the price of punditry because I own a tiny online sports television channel. My bet is that many former footballers would appear for nothing for the chance of giving their views on such a high-profile programme.
Ex-players are desperate to get into the media and enjoy the chance of being famous again.
At the very most, BBC bosses should only have to pay a £1,000 fee per show, plus taxis.
The BBC argues that the calibre of pundits is an important part of Match Of The Day. Rubbish! Viewers are mostly interested in the goals and the games. If the producers believe otherwise, why don’t they turn the programme into a football chat show instead? If they did, the audience would plummet from three million to three.
The spin-offs from appearing on the BBC have been hugely lucrative for Hansen. He has been chosen as the face of the supermarket Morrisons and has a ghosted national newspaper column. Would he have picked up these nice little earners without having appeared on Match Of The Day? Of course not. So why are we paying him at all?
The BBC might argue that Hansen could always defect to Sky. So what? He could join ITV. So what? If he did, he would be paid by commercial broadcasters.
Working for the BBC, he’s being paid with my — and your — money. I don’t want to pay him £40k a show. I don’t want to pay him £40k a year. Do you?
