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gfloyd · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:52 am Post subject: BBC News clamps down on expenses

Presenters were told to be more realistic about their future pay demands as management seeks to share the pain of cutbacks across the BBC News division and the likely impact of a disappointing licence fee settlement.

One news presenter is said to have been upset by the ban on club class travel, pointing out that fellow air travellers have a habit of taking pictures of them on mobile phones when travelling in economy.

One agent blamed the BBC's "current period of austerity" on the negative publicity generated by Jonathan Ross's infamous £18m three-year deal with the corporation, brokered last year.

"After Jonathan Ross it will cost everyone else," said the agent. "The Ross deal probably cost the BBC a billion quid at the end of the day [in terms of a lower licence fee settlement]."

But agent Alex Armitage, whose clients include Radio 2 and Panorama presenter Jeremy Vine, Radio Five Live and News 24 presenter Julian Worricker and Today co-host Sarah Montague, said the BBC was entitled to crack down on expenses if it thought they had got out of hand.

"The only worry I have is for female presenters going home on the tube or having to find a place near their home to park their car. That is a very genuine cause for concern," he added.

"You have to be very careful on public transport. The fact is if you are famous people want to talk to you. Not just crazy stalkers who want to shoot you - thank God there are very few of them - but people want to tell you what they think of your clothes or whatever and that can be a real pain in the arse, especially with female presenters."
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His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.....

Behind Geddon's Wall · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:11 pm Post subject:

An easy way to cut costs is to use local or regional news reporters. For example, was it necessary for La Kaplinsky to go to Suffolk? Wouldn't one of the Look East Bods been able to do the job?

If it is anywhere remotely North ( written in hushed tones for fear of waking the dragons) They use either Danny Savage (Look North) or Andrew Castle or Colin Blaine(?) from Scotland.
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Geddon

You simply mustn't blame yourself -- the days were perfect
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Through the fields of oil

gfloyd · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:21 pm Post subject:

They could employ ugly presenters. That way nobody would want to take photos of them in economy class when they fly.
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His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.....

Cherskiy · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:25 pm Post subject:

I couldn't understand why Bill Turnbull from 'Breakfast' had to go down there on either Monday or Tuesday morning this week - his link to camera at 0605 involved him turning to another reporter standing next to him, asking the same sort of questions that he'd be perfectly able to ask from the studio! Plus - it was pitch dark, nothing was happening, and the offending carcasses had been already been shipped off for burning.

No doubt as soon as there's a whif of Tony Blair leaving, there'll be reports every 15 minutes from outside 10 Downing Street to the tune of "well, there's nothing happening just yet".

It may be my imagination, but I was always under the impression that 'news' was reports of events that had actually happened, not just idle speculation or navel-gazing. Obviously I was wrong.

Private Eye has started to include a regular column where they draw attention to pointless reporting - the BBC should take note.
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gfloyd · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:01 am Post subject:

Sarah Kennedy was following the party line this morning in her paper review when she said the BBC's cutbacks were due to "the failure of the government to give the BBC the funding that it required".

No mention of a certain J Ross in her comments. Shocked

So does Sarah think the BBC should be given a blank cheque book?
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His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.....