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BBC Bonuses Again
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
"BBC Bosses in Bonuses Storm" has become an annual media ritual/blood sport. This year there's an added piquancy given the dismal year the corporation has had with its phone-in scandals, fakery rows and redundancies. DG Mark Thompson was right to waive his bonus. And, I believe, this year, the rest of the board should have waived theirs too. The successes of the BBC iPlayer and Freeview are noteworthy, but in the end two factors should have weighed heavily on their decision. First, you don't slash the workforce and demand austerity from programme-makers and then fill your boots at the top; it sends out all the wrong signals. And second, I don't believe the BBC has had a great year creatively. The standard defence - when it comes to BBC executive bonuses - is that the private sector offers far richer rewards. But working for the public service BBC - while being very well paid by any reasonable standard (Jana Bennett, BBC Vision director earns two-and-a-half times as much as the PM) - should be reward enough for these guys. If they want more, then they know what they can do...

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