Media

BBC pays big money "to fend off rivals"

Published Friday, May 5 2006, 18:58 BST | By Dave West
BBC director general Mark Thompson has said the corporation pays its stars large salaries to fend off bids from rivals.

His statement follows press reports detailing how much radio presenters earn – including £630,000 for Radio 1's Chris Moyles and £540,000 for Chris Evans on Radio 2.

The figures provoked some questioning, but Thompson said commercial rivals were offering the employees "far, far higher rates than they are currently getting". He also pointed out that salaries in the corporation were rising 2 per cent a year compared with 2.7 per cent for the media in general.

A BBC investigation into how the salaries were leaked is underway, the corporation having said it was "concerned" about the release.
New DS games
Play this exclusive bingo game with a Bejeweled bonus. £2,500 in Guaranteed Jackpots and free tickets to be won daily, PLUS there’s a huge Progressive Jackpot at stake if you call Full House with a certain number of calls!
S26 T1.4906377792358 {run_id}