Stars of BBC TV and radio have been warned to expect massive paycuts of around 25% and in some cases this is as high as 40%.
The BBC has been criticised for the massive wage bill for some of its presenter talent. Deals like Jonathan Ross' one for £18miliion were signed way before the credit crunch started to reduce wages in the sector.
Some people have criticised the corporation for over paying and artificially inflating salaries in broadcasting. In particular BBC radio has been singled out for criticism in the press for the massive salaries of some of the presenters on its national radio stations. People like Moyles, Wogan, Chris Evans and Scot Mills are apparently being paid way above their counterparts in the commercial sector.
The Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, is said to have held a meeting with presenters today outlining the fall in pay.
I'd have paid to be there to see Jeremy Clarkson's face personally.Stars of BBC TV and radio have been warned to expect massive paycuts of around 25% and... more
Camp comedian Alan Carr is reportedly in talks with Radio 2 to begin presenting a new show, possibly even filling the role of Russell Brand.
Carr's selection would no doubt cause even more controversy at Radio 2, something which they're probably not that keen on given how much criticism they came under after the whole Wossy & Brand affair.
A source reportedly told the Sunday Mirror that; "Producers were determined to have a comedian back in the late-night slot" and that "Alan has a huge following and, like Brand, his humour is quite near the knuckle. But his naughty jokes and harmless camp comedy seemed like the perfect choice."
Isn't that what they said about Brand??Oh, when will they learn..?
Camp comedian Alan Carr is reportedly in talks with... more
Controversial comedian Russell Brand has won the best live stand-up award at the British Comedy Awards.
Brand took the prestigious title in the wake of the row over the prank calls he and TV host Jonathan Ross made to actor Andrew Sachs on Brand's Radio 2 show.
Brand resigned from the BBC following the incident and Ross was suspended from all BBC duties for 12 weeks.
Accepting his award from Adam Sandler in LA, Brand said: "I would like to dedicate this award to Jonathan Ross."
He continued: "There are no comedy awards without Jonathan Ross, he is the King-maker."
Brand, who is now pursuing his Hollywood movie career, asked Sandler if he would like to do a radio show - to huge laughter.
Angus Deayton hosted this year's awards show at the London Television Studios, standing in for Jonathan Ross, who stepped down after his BBC suspension.
Ross may not have been at the ceremony but Deayton lost no time in making jokes about the reasons for his absence.
"Normally at awards shows, it's the winners that can't be here but this time it's the host," he said.Controversial comedian Russell Brand has won the best live stand-up award at the... more
In the latest twist in the Sachsgate scandal engulfing the BBC, the controller of Radio 2 Europe's biggest and most popular radio station, has resigned.
Lesley Douglas, 45, was the controller of Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and the controller of popular music who had been running the music and entertainment station for 8 years. She also launched digital music station 6 Music, which was caught up in a deception scandal of its own last year. She had been with the corporation her entire career.
Ms Douglas said she took responsibility for what happend on Russell Brand's Saturday night Radio 2 show as it happened "on my watch". She was a much respected figure in the UK radio industry and music industry and was credited with the creative renewal of the music and entertainment network. Bringing in a host of younger personalities from TV alongside retaining the network's appeal to its core older listeners whilst securing strategy for the eventual replacement of long term breakfast host Terry Wogan by recruiting big name talent like Chris Evans and Jonathan Ross.
Radio 2 is listened to by 26 per cent of all adults in the UK every week and is listened to for a total of 160 586 000 hours per week and has had a long tradition for being BBC Radio's home of MOR music and chat aimed at over 30's. The inclusion by Ms Douglas of Mr Brand on its schedules had raised eyebrows in some quarters considering it is long considered a mainstay of middle england with personalities such as 70 year old Terry Wogan, 57 year old Ken Bruce and 58 year old Sarah Kennedy alongside a diverse roster of names.
Radio 2 has stormed ahead in the audience figures, leaving commercial stations in disarray. This success has been put down to the focus on popular personalities and a wide ranging and deep music policy in the face of commercial stations tightening playlists, cutting back on speech from personalities and focussing too heavily on market research to form their output. Ms Douglas approach of hiring big names and letting take a more individual approach will be missed in an industry more focussed on consolidation and commercial pressures.
The BBC has seen many senior executives leave control of its radio and tv networks over the last year in various on air scandals that have errupted into PR disasters threatening to engulf the most senior levels of the corporation.In the latest twist in the Sachsgate scandal engulfing the BBC, the controller of... more
Some of the more creative corners of the British media have labeled this whole issue "sachsgate" in some sort of obscene attempt to add magnitude to a non-story. It's fairly pathetic that our media can steer us so significantly that we jump on a story like this leading to more than 20,000 complaints to the BBC, an over blown media circus, the vindication of two great performers over a silly joke AND the public lynching of the "offenders" until they jump the sinking burning ship.
Sachsgate indeed.
Meanwhile the entire nation is fully aware that we were lied to in order to justify a phony war, there were no weapons of mass destruction and many men and women have died as a result of this most pathetic and damaging lie. Where was the accountability for that stunt? Where were the public lynchings? Where was the media circus?
It's unfortunate that cases like this manage to add life to a dying tradition - debate. People at dinner tables everywhere have suddenly got an opinion on it, "I think it's the controllers fault", "Jonathon Ross should know better"... The point is, IT DOESN'T MATTER. This "news" works because it invites people to feel empowered enough to form an opinion on something they can understand. It is a diversion from the real issues which actually effect us all. Form an opinion on something important, lynch the people responsible for actual crimes, and create a media circus on the things that need more attention - not on things that we really needn't care about at all.Some of the more creative corners of the British media have labeled this whole issue... more
