Once again the BBC has been slapped on the wrists for overpaying its leading presenters and DJs.
The BBC claims that Oliver & Ohlbaum, the consultants it invited in (probably at a huge cost to licence-payers), found that the likes of chat show host Jonathan Ross and radio DJ Chris Moyles were not paid above the market rate. But O&O also found that the BBC relied on "a limited number of lead presenters" and questioned how successful the organisation had been in nurturing new talent.
Ross reportedly signed a 'golden handcuffs' deal recently for £18m over three years, and the BBC has an overall 'talent budget' of £242m.The very top stars can expect to earn at least £3m annually from appearance fees, repeats, publishing deals and royalties.
Pay will always be a thorny issue, especially when the public are bankrolling these salaries, but are the likes of Rossy really overpaid? All HR professionals know that nurturing new talent is a high priority - especially in these times of financial instability and demographic change. But talent pipelines can take years to get results, and in the interim it's important to keep your key people happy.
That said, money isn't everything. Just ask Natasha Kaplinsky, who left her already well-paid job at the BBC last year for a £1m a year role as the anchor on Five News, only to tell bosses six weeks later that she was pregnant.
