BBC talent costs under review

Published Tuesday 12 June 2007 at 15:50 by Matthew Hemley

A review into how much the BBC pays for talent and the effect this has on the market is to be launched by the BBC Trust.

The trust said it was launching the review because it “needs to understand the big issues which have the greatest impact on what appears on screen and on radio”.

Details of the review are still unclear, but are expected to be announced with the BBC’s annual report on July 3.

However, rather than focusing on individual salaries, it will try and discover what the BBC’s impact is on the price of talent in the market place, and whether it gets a good return from its investment in top names, such as Jonathan Ross and Terry Wogan.

The news comes following a series of leaks last year that revealed Jeremy Paxman is paid £940,000 a year and Wogan gets £800,000 a year. Ross is on an alleged £18 million contract.

A spokesman for the trust said: “Talent costs understandably raise questions for the public. So the trust must ensure it has a proper understanding of how the BBC operates in these markets to satisfy itself that the greatest value is being created for audiences.  

“Later this year, the trust plans to commission an external study about the BBC’s major role in the talent market. Terms of reference have yet to be finalised, but these will be published, as will the report once completed.”