Post by Teddy Bear on Jul 4, 2010 16:32:47 GMT
James Kirkup in The Telegraph makes a good point about BBC Boss Thompson's reaction publishing the salaries of their 'stars'. Thompson says "...“We’re in competition with other broadcasters in an industry where no other broadcaster publishers this information. The danger is you begin to hobble the BBC’s ability to compete,"
I didn't realise that paying the likes of Jonathan Ross £6 million a year was competing with any other broadcaster on this planet.
Thompson also seems to forget that OTHER BROADCASTERS are privately funded, and can pay what they think somebody is worth and need only answer to their stockholders.
BBC chief: Publishing our stars' pay would make people too angry
By James Kirkup Politics Last updated: July 4th, 2010
Complicated thing, the BBC.
Last week, Sir Michael Lyons, the head of the BBC Trust, said this:
(You may remember this from the Telegraph front page.)
This morning, Mark Thompson, the BBC’s chief exec, has been on, er, the BBC to talk about this stuff.
His words are worth quoting at length:
That last bit in bold strikes me as the most important here. In essence, the BBC’s chief exec says he won’t publish the salaries of his stars because the people who have to pay those salaries through their licence fee would talk about them too much.
I didn't realise that paying the likes of Jonathan Ross £6 million a year was competing with any other broadcaster on this planet.
Thompson also seems to forget that OTHER BROADCASTERS are privately funded, and can pay what they think somebody is worth and need only answer to their stockholders.
BBC chief: Publishing our stars' pay would make people too angry
By James Kirkup Politics Last updated: July 4th, 2010
Complicated thing, the BBC.
Last week, Sir Michael Lyons, the head of the BBC Trust, said this:
I do believe we should release the names of those who receive the biggest incomes from the BBC.
(You may remember this from the Telegraph front page.)
This morning, Mark Thompson, the BBC’s chief exec, has been on, er, the BBC to talk about this stuff.
His words are worth quoting at length:
“It would be wrong and it would be damaging and destructive to the BBC and its ability to get top stars to actually publish individual salaries.
“We’re in competition with other broadcasters in an industry where no other broadcaster publishers this information. The danger is you begin to hobble the BBC’s ability to compete, and you begin to get a cycle where in the press and elsewhere it becomes an enormous talking point.”
That last bit in bold strikes me as the most important here. In essence, the BBC’s chief exec says he won’t publish the salaries of his stars because the people who have to pay those salaries through their licence fee would talk about them too much.