Report reveals BBC has cut pay to top stars

{jcomments off}The BBC is spending less money on salaries of top-stars at the corporation a new report has revealed.

The ‘toxic’ issue of pay at the BBC has provided plenty of ammunition for critics and the press over recent years. The amount top stars at the BBC are paid, as well as senior executives, is an issue the BBC can’t dodge or avoid no matter how much it would like to. The corporation has previously committed to being more open about the salaries of its top earners be they executives or presenters. The corporation has also committed itself to reducing executives pay and big deal contracts for its top stars – especially in light of the budget cuts facing the corporation.

A new report reveals the BBC is making progress it cutting pay but some might argue its moving too slowly. The corporation’s annual report reveals 19 stars were paid more than £500,000 in the past year – that may sound like a lot but that’s down by 2 on the year before. Overall spending on ‘talent’ was down £9m/4% on previous years. The BBC hasn’t revealed details breaking down its various wage bands due to privacy clauses within the contracts of its stars but there have been previous calls for such details to be released.

The issue of pay at the BBC is unlikely to go away as, in the next few years, the BBC will have difficult choices to make about cutting costs. The corporation is already looking at job cuts within its News department with the National Union of Journalists balloting on strikes over compulsory redundancies. With a licence fee freeze and additional funding responsibilities the pressure on the BBC to pay top stars and executives less and invest the money in quality programming will only increase.