BBC Entertainers Are Not Paid Too Much Says Governing Body Despite "£1m Salaries"

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In a recent report by the BBC's governing body, The BBC Trust, it firmly defends the much scattered idea that many of the big names in BBC TV broadcasting get paid ridiculous salaries.

This ain't Hollywood, of course, yet it is pretty well known throughout the UK that the likes of Jonathan Ross and Sir Terry Wogan get paid massive sums of money to simply do, what looks like very little work. The report suggests also that these stars are not paid, as we would have imagined, for their name rather than what they actually do.

The BBC still stands firmly at the bottom of the scale when it comes to salaries in visual media. Tight they have always been and the report states that such big TV names currently on the Beeb payroll would get a far better salary elsewhere.

Even so, we can expect to be pleasantly surprised to learn that around 30 to 40 of the biggest names in UK TV and Radio take home roughly £1m each year - the taxman loves those in the media, especially when the top ten of these stars get around £2m each year for smiling and waving as the credits go up. Yet the report, despite it's apparent retreat away from the homeliness of the BBC, are actually in favour of the poorer pay. They said in the report that the Beeb should not be bullied into taking on stars who demand a high salary. Once broadcasting for the working man, always broadcasting for the working man - only the working man now works for the Beeb and has to pick up supplementary benefits to keep going.

Yet this isn't any old review which pops up it's ugly head every so often to dampen down the slightest of rumours, this one was the result of a knee jerk reaction after it was leaked to the tabloids salaries of some of the best known stars at the BBC, according to one paper, chart show host and Radio broadcaster, Jonathan Ross, picks up a staggering £18m for his three year contract and services to the BBC.

Other big spenders were controversial and political spokesperson Jeremy Paxman who romps home with a cheque of £940,000 hanging out of his back pocket each year. Radio Two broadcaster and Eurovision criticiser, Sir Terry Wogan gets £800,000 a year, and not to mention, miserable faced, Radio 1 breakfast man, Chris Moyles carries home around £630,000 a year. (We only have to double these figures to get what they would be in dollars.)

The BBC stated in their "defence" that the top 50 of their current stars have salaries which rise "significantly faster that the recent 6% annual rate for total talent spending."

Sir Michael Lyons, top man of the Trust said,

"The BBC doesn't pay more than others and indeed there has been a firmer grip on talent costs in recent years. In some cases we pay less than others. This is not a green light for the BBC to pay whatever it wants", adding that the corporation should do more to develop new talent. It would put the BBC in a very difficult position in relation to retaining staff who could work elsewhere."

He went on,

"Because the BBC is paid for by the licence fee, it doesn't have to follow the market, can afford to be distinctive, has got the scope to bring on new talent and must walk away from those which are too expensive."

At the same time, 200,000 payments made by the broadcasting company for contract on minor stars were on average, less that a thousand pounds. Having said this, the report found that there was definitely no evidence to suggest that the BBC were paying their stars too much money....

Only the great north-south divide between top star and minor walk-on part was becoming wider that the Grand Canyon.....