BBC Should Reveal Staff Pay Says Thompson

The Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Mark Thompson, today gave his support to the suggestion the BBC should publicly publish its top talent’s earnings.

 

Thompson gave his support to the idea – which was suggested by executives of the BBC Trust last week – on political series The Andrew Marr Show.

 

“We absolutely accept the idea of publishing in bands,” Thompson said. However he said it would be wrong for individual stars to have their income from the BBC revealed. Should the idea, devised by the BBC Trust who are bestowed powers to make sure the public are getting the best out of the beeb, be accepted the financial information would just reveal salaries of staff, from top earners downwards in departmental bands rather than any personal names.

“The BBC is trying to find the right balance between the public’s absolute right to have a sense of what the BBC spends on on-air talent, and a broadcasting industry where confidentiality is the absolute norm, is the expectation and in some cases the contractual right of the individuals involved.”

“I continue to believe that it would be wrong and it would be damaging and destructive to the BBC and its ability to get the top stars to actually publish individual salaries,” Thompson said, adding “We’re in competition with other broadcasters in an industry where no other broadcaster publishes this sort of information.” 

Viewers and the press hammered the BBC for the amount it is alleged to pay to the likes of Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton. Terry Wogan [pictured right on his ATV Network chat show in 1972] recently hit-out at the amount the BBC spends on its stars.

 

The BBC told ATV recently that it couldn’t afford to operate its publicity department professionally due to a lack of funding. The BBC rakes in millions each year from a tax on those who wish to view a television set, whether they watch the BBC or not.