Post by Teddy Bear on Jun 22, 2010 22:25:53 GMT
If your blood doesn't boil at the BBC's contempt for their paying public, you should seek a psychologists help to get your brain 'unwashed'.
BBC summer junket: 1,000 staff in splurge on Wimbledon, the World Cup and Glastonbury
By Paul Revoir
They are three of the most eagerly awaited events of this year - especially if you work for the BBC.
For nearly 1,000 Corporation workers are being employed at the football World Cup, Wimbledon tennis championships and the Glastonbury music festival this week.
The BBC is expected to splash out more than £5million on these events in the space of seven days, prompting fresh accusations of a 'bloated' spending culture.
Nicky Campbell is presenting his BBC breakfast show from the World Cup
Nonsport presenters such as Trevor Nelson have been dispatched to cover the World Cup
It comes just months after a National Audit Office report into the BBC's spending said the corporation did not do enough to show it 'provides best possible value for money' when covering these and other events.
It also coincides with news the broadcaster's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, will pay bonuses to staff this year, despite a public sector pay freeze. An independence charter stops Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt from stepping in.
But the BBC has been accused of ignoring that criticism and carrying on as if it was immune from the current financial problems affecting the country.
Critics are particularly angered that these big events appear to be treated as a 'free for all' where even non-essential staff are sent out to cover them.
Nicky Campbell is presenting his Radio 5 Live breakfast news show from South Africa, while other non-sport radio presenters such as Trevor Nelson have also been dispatched thousands of miles away to cover the event.
The corporation even sent Up All Night presenter Dotun Adebayo to Ghana to present three shows about the World Cup, even though the tournament is not taking place there.
It has also packed out a white double decker bus full of presenters and its journalists - including football focus presenter Dan Walker - to drive around South Africa to look at the scenery and history of the country. Even BBC insiders have branded the moves 'completely pointless'.
And the Corporation is sending more than 400 staff to cover the three-day music festival at Glastonbury - which is even higher than the 292 it has sent to the World Cup.
Despite the fact the festival does not command big TV audiences, the total cost of the BBC's coverage will reach about £1.7million. The corporation is also accused of going completely overboard with its World Cup coverage, with the total cost estimated to be £12million - of which about £2million is likely to be spent in the next seven days.
Spending £1million alone on its flat-pack Cape Town studio, the BBC as usual dwarves the staffing and spending levels of its main rival ITV. The BBC's deputy director general Mark Byford is in South Africa 'representing' the Corporation, where he will have meetings with Fifa, while creative director Alan Yentob will once again be at Glastonbury. Last year Mr Yentob was given a free pass to attend the festival in a 'work capacity'.
In a previous year he famously hosted a Glastonbury festival reception at his nearby country home, paid for by the licence fee.
But this year he is covering it for his Imagine programme.
Wimbledon, while not far from the BBC's London bases, is expected to soak up at least £3million and a staff headcount of 185.
Again, non-sport presenters such as Richard Bacon, who has a show on Radio 5 Live, will be presenting from the event rather than from his normal studio, which is expected to add to the costs of the show. A total of 881 workers will be covering the events.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'By all means the BBC can cover these major events but they don't need to send so many people. They have got to cut back on this spending given the wider budget crisis.'
On the Nicky Campbell move, a BBC spokesman said: 'Nicky Campbell presents 5 Live's breakfast programme - the station's most listened-to news programme.
'During the World Cup we believe listeners want the fullest and best coverage of the World Cup at this time of day, including updates, previews and the atmosphere of the tournament.'
By Paul Revoir
They are three of the most eagerly awaited events of this year - especially if you work for the BBC.
For nearly 1,000 Corporation workers are being employed at the football World Cup, Wimbledon tennis championships and the Glastonbury music festival this week.
The BBC is expected to splash out more than £5million on these events in the space of seven days, prompting fresh accusations of a 'bloated' spending culture.
Nicky Campbell is presenting his BBC breakfast show from the World Cup
Nonsport presenters such as Trevor Nelson have been dispatched to cover the World Cup
It comes just months after a National Audit Office report into the BBC's spending said the corporation did not do enough to show it 'provides best possible value for money' when covering these and other events.
It also coincides with news the broadcaster's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, will pay bonuses to staff this year, despite a public sector pay freeze. An independence charter stops Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt from stepping in.
But the BBC has been accused of ignoring that criticism and carrying on as if it was immune from the current financial problems affecting the country.
Critics are particularly angered that these big events appear to be treated as a 'free for all' where even non-essential staff are sent out to cover them.
Nicky Campbell is presenting his Radio 5 Live breakfast news show from South Africa, while other non-sport radio presenters such as Trevor Nelson have also been dispatched thousands of miles away to cover the event.
The corporation even sent Up All Night presenter Dotun Adebayo to Ghana to present three shows about the World Cup, even though the tournament is not taking place there.
It has also packed out a white double decker bus full of presenters and its journalists - including football focus presenter Dan Walker - to drive around South Africa to look at the scenery and history of the country. Even BBC insiders have branded the moves 'completely pointless'.
And the Corporation is sending more than 400 staff to cover the three-day music festival at Glastonbury - which is even higher than the 292 it has sent to the World Cup.
Despite the fact the festival does not command big TV audiences, the total cost of the BBC's coverage will reach about £1.7million. The corporation is also accused of going completely overboard with its World Cup coverage, with the total cost estimated to be £12million - of which about £2million is likely to be spent in the next seven days.
Spending £1million alone on its flat-pack Cape Town studio, the BBC as usual dwarves the staffing and spending levels of its main rival ITV. The BBC's deputy director general Mark Byford is in South Africa 'representing' the Corporation, where he will have meetings with Fifa, while creative director Alan Yentob will once again be at Glastonbury. Last year Mr Yentob was given a free pass to attend the festival in a 'work capacity'.
In a previous year he famously hosted a Glastonbury festival reception at his nearby country home, paid for by the licence fee.
But this year he is covering it for his Imagine programme.
Wimbledon, while not far from the BBC's London bases, is expected to soak up at least £3million and a staff headcount of 185.
Again, non-sport presenters such as Richard Bacon, who has a show on Radio 5 Live, will be presenting from the event rather than from his normal studio, which is expected to add to the costs of the show. A total of 881 workers will be covering the events.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'By all means the BBC can cover these major events but they don't need to send so many people. They have got to cut back on this spending given the wider budget crisis.'
On the Nicky Campbell move, a BBC spokesman said: 'Nicky Campbell presents 5 Live's breakfast programme - the station's most listened-to news programme.
'During the World Cup we believe listeners want the fullest and best coverage of the World Cup at this time of day, including updates, previews and the atmosphere of the tournament.'