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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| BBC bosses are overpaid - Cameron | BBC bosses are overpaid - Cameron |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Senior staff at the BBC are being paid more than they should be, Conservative leader David Cameron has said. | Senior staff at the BBC are being paid more than they should be, Conservative leader David Cameron has said. |
| He argued that director-general Mark Thompson - who earns more than £800,000 a year - had "one of the best jobs in the country". | He argued that director-general Mark Thompson - who earns more than £800,000 a year - had "one of the best jobs in the country". |
| He told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "I don't think it's quite necessary to pay such high wages to staff." | He told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "I don't think it's quite necessary to pay such high wages to staff." |
| But Mr Cameron said he was not "piling in" to the row over prank phone calls by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross. | But Mr Cameron said he was not "piling in" to the row over prank phone calls by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross. |
| Mr Brand has resigned as a Radio 2 DJ over the messages left on actor Andrew Sachs' answering machine, while Mr Ross has been suspended without pay for 12 weeks. | Mr Brand has resigned as a Radio 2 DJ over the messages left on actor Andrew Sachs' answering machine, while Mr Ross has been suspended without pay for 12 weeks. |
| In an article in the Sun newspaper, Mr Cameron called the prank, which was recorded and later broadcast, "sick". | |
| 'Over-managed' | 'Over-managed' |
| He also called the BBC "bloated", adding it had "lost touch with the values of the people who support it". | He also called the BBC "bloated", adding it had "lost touch with the values of the people who support it". |
| Widespread condemnation of the phone calls has focused attention on the salaries paid to BBC presenters and executives - Mr Ross earns £6m a year. | Widespread condemnation of the phone calls has focused attention on the salaries paid to BBC presenters and executives - Mr Ross earns £6m a year. |
| Mr Cameron told The World at One: "I think this is a moment not to go on and on about Brand and Ross but actually to say, hang on a second, actually in some areas, the BBC has got over-managed, too bureaucratic. | Mr Cameron told The World at One: "I think this is a moment not to go on and on about Brand and Ross but actually to say, hang on a second, actually in some areas, the BBC has got over-managed, too bureaucratic. |
| "There are issues of overpayment, issues of it piling in to areas where sometimes it can crush small businesses starting up on the internet or in education or in tourism, where perhaps it shouldn't be going. | "There are issues of overpayment, issues of it piling in to areas where sometimes it can crush small businesses starting up on the internet or in education or in tourism, where perhaps it shouldn't be going. |
| I think we are heading towards a period where it is probably the case that we will be able to secure the best entertainment talent for less than we have been able to do in the last few years Mark ThompsonBBC director general | I think we are heading towards a period where it is probably the case that we will be able to secure the best entertainment talent for less than we have been able to do in the last few years Mark ThompsonBBC director general |
| "And I think, for those of us who like the BBC, who want it to thrive - and for those of us who actually support the licence fee, which I do - I think it's quite a good moment to say let's stand back and try and get this right for the future." | "And I think, for those of us who like the BBC, who want it to thrive - and for those of us who actually support the licence fee, which I do - I think it's quite a good moment to say let's stand back and try and get this right for the future." |
| Discussing senior staff pay, Mr Cameron said: "There's a kudos to working at that level in the BBC just as there is in any walk of life." | Discussing senior staff pay, Mr Cameron said: "There's a kudos to working at that level in the BBC just as there is in any walk of life." |
| Given the attraction of working for the organisation, senior executives' salaries had risen above "where they should be", he added. | Given the attraction of working for the organisation, senior executives' salaries had risen above "where they should be", he added. |
| On Sunday, Mr Thompson told BBC One's Andrew Marr show: "I think we are heading towards a period where it is probably the case that we will be able to secure the best entertainment talent for less than we have been able to do in the last few years." | On Sunday, Mr Thompson told BBC One's Andrew Marr show: "I think we are heading towards a period where it is probably the case that we will be able to secure the best entertainment talent for less than we have been able to do in the last few years." |
| But he said he was paid "significantly less" than his opposite numbers at ITV and Channel 4, as were on-air presenters and other senior executives. | But he said he was paid "significantly less" than his opposite numbers at ITV and Channel 4, as were on-air presenters and other senior executives. |