Investing in our presenters
Controversy erupted last year when the alleged salaries of top BBC presenters in TV and radio were leaked to newspapers. Many of the figures quoted were totally inaccurate. Some commentators suggested we were overpaying our stars and misusing the licence fee to poach talent from competitors. Others in commercial broadcasting accused us of increasing salaries and disrupting the market. We responded that the market for talent was driven by the commercial sector. Presenters were often offered far more by rival broadcasters but chose to come and work for the BBC.
The Director-General, Mark Thompson, told the press as well as MPs that he didn't think he should apologise for paying the market rate for key talent the audience loves. Most of the on-air talent the BBC employs is modestly rewarded and the handful of exceptions represents some of the best-loved faces and voices in UK broadcasting. We believe that licence fee payers expect the best from the BBC even if that means a significant outlay.
