Post by Teddy Bear on Nov 4, 2008 17:52:20 GMT
I think if there are any left that are really happy to pay the BBC to continue as they are, then they should suspect their own intelligence and sanity.
BBC 'fat controllers' rake in £14.3million pay packet, it has been revealed
By Liz Thomas
The BBC spends £14.3million a year on the salaries of just 50 managers, it emerged last night.
Half of them are paid more than Gordon Brown.
The money would pay for 677 nurses, 695 teachers, 540 firefighters or 586 police officers.
BBC director-general Mark Thompson, pictured below, who was already under fire over the pay of stars like Jonathan Ross, insisted the BBC had to pay competitive salaries to get the best people.
BBC director general Mark Thompson today defended the £14.3million pay packages for the corporation's top 50 managers
He said: 'Of course, compared to many people's average pay, they seem very substantial.
'But the public also want the Controller of BBC1 to be the best possible person for that job - it's an £800million television network.'
Mr Thompson himself had a take-home salary of £816,000 last year, while ITV executive chairman Michael Grade was paid around £2million.
But his critics pointed out that top executives at commercial broadcasters earn around £150,000-200,000, and there are far fewer in the top bracket.
Simon Cowell branded the payouts 'crazy', while former Crimewatch host Nick Ross accused the BBC of having too many middle managers.
The revelations about fat-cat pay deals have angered rank and file BBC staff, many of whom have seen colleagues made redundant.
One insider said: ' I am not even sure what half these people actually do.'
Tory chair of the media select committee, John Whittingdale, dismissed Mr Thompson's excuses and said that no commercial broadcaster would be able to afford such a sizeable salary bill.
He said: 'The idea that any broadcaster in the commercial sector could pay this many people, this much is ridiculous.
'The BBC has announced thousands of job cuts and budgets for programming have gone down because of a less than expected licence settlement but can pay huge numbers of its staff six figure salaries.'
There was already frustration that nine of Thompson's top team claimed their bonuses this year, despite a string of deception scandals.
It is understood the BBC paid out £300,000 in bonus' to the senior management team.
The two senior BBC executives responsible for its TV and radio services received bonuses totalling more than £40,000, despite the scandals that emerged on their watch.
BBC Vision director Jana Bennett and director of audio and music Jenny Abramsky, who recently left the corporation with a £190,000 annual pension, were still rewarded with a £20,000 bonus each.
One former BBC senior executive said: 'It is a difficult economic climate. Ordinary people are struggling. The BBC needs to understand that and show that it is thinking about how public money is being spent.
'It is not true that the commercial sector pays better, but on top of that the BBC has a great pension scheme and most people have very secure jobs because the BBC cannot go bust. It has a guaranteed income of £3.5 billion a year.'
It emerged that former Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas, the executive forced to resign after Ross and Brand left lewd phone messages to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, was on a salary of £280,000 a year.
By Liz Thomas
The BBC spends £14.3million a year on the salaries of just 50 managers, it emerged last night.
Half of them are paid more than Gordon Brown.
The money would pay for 677 nurses, 695 teachers, 540 firefighters or 586 police officers.
BBC director-general Mark Thompson, pictured below, who was already under fire over the pay of stars like Jonathan Ross, insisted the BBC had to pay competitive salaries to get the best people.
BBC director general Mark Thompson today defended the £14.3million pay packages for the corporation's top 50 managers
He said: 'Of course, compared to many people's average pay, they seem very substantial.
'But the public also want the Controller of BBC1 to be the best possible person for that job - it's an £800million television network.'
Mr Thompson himself had a take-home salary of £816,000 last year, while ITV executive chairman Michael Grade was paid around £2million.
But his critics pointed out that top executives at commercial broadcasters earn around £150,000-200,000, and there are far fewer in the top bracket.
Simon Cowell branded the payouts 'crazy', while former Crimewatch host Nick Ross accused the BBC of having too many middle managers.
The revelations about fat-cat pay deals have angered rank and file BBC staff, many of whom have seen colleagues made redundant.
One insider said: ' I am not even sure what half these people actually do.'
Tory chair of the media select committee, John Whittingdale, dismissed Mr Thompson's excuses and said that no commercial broadcaster would be able to afford such a sizeable salary bill.
He said: 'The idea that any broadcaster in the commercial sector could pay this many people, this much is ridiculous.
'The BBC has announced thousands of job cuts and budgets for programming have gone down because of a less than expected licence settlement but can pay huge numbers of its staff six figure salaries.'
There was already frustration that nine of Thompson's top team claimed their bonuses this year, despite a string of deception scandals.
It is understood the BBC paid out £300,000 in bonus' to the senior management team.
The two senior BBC executives responsible for its TV and radio services received bonuses totalling more than £40,000, despite the scandals that emerged on their watch.
BBC Vision director Jana Bennett and director of audio and music Jenny Abramsky, who recently left the corporation with a £190,000 annual pension, were still rewarded with a £20,000 bonus each.
One former BBC senior executive said: 'It is a difficult economic climate. Ordinary people are struggling. The BBC needs to understand that and show that it is thinking about how public money is being spent.
'It is not true that the commercial sector pays better, but on top of that the BBC has a great pension scheme and most people have very secure jobs because the BBC cannot go bust. It has a guaranteed income of £3.5 billion a year.'
It emerged that former Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas, the executive forced to resign after Ross and Brand left lewd phone messages to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, was on a salary of £280,000 a year.
Revealed: What the BBC's top bosses earn...