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Culture Minister slams BBC's 'bunker mentality'
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent14.07.09
Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw launched an attack on BBC chiefs today as the battle over the licence fee escalated.
He accused director-general Mark Thompson and Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trust, of poor leadership which had left many staff in "despair". The Cabinet minister hit out at BBC bosses for retreating to their "bunker" in opposing "top-slicing" the licence fee - redistributing a share of it to rival broadcasters.
The row over bumper salaries for the BBC's senior staff was set to grow with its annual report expected to show that 10 executives earned nearly £5million last year, a rise of 17 per cent on the previous 12 months.
"(There) are plenty of people within the BBC that do not feel it is a well-led organisation and that is almost for me the most worrying thing," Mr Bradshaw, a former BBC Berlin correspondent, told the Financial Times.
"And they don't feel they are being well-led on this issue (the licence fee). It fits into a pattern. It is not the only issue. There is almost a feeling of despair among a lot of highly respected BBC professionals."
Ministers proposed in the Digital Britain White Paper last month that 3.5 per cent of the licence fee, or around £130million, should be used for regional news broadcasts on ITV and possibly also children's programmes.
Mr Thompson accused the Government of having an "ideological" motivation to force the Corporation to give up a chunk of the £3.6billion licence fee. Mr Bradshaw warned that the stance could leave the BBC's long-term future "uncertain and fragile".
The attack from Mr Bradshaw came as the trust formally suspended bonuses for the 10 most senior BBC executives after public outrage at the bumper salaries of leading staff.
Sir Michael, seeking to defuse the row, today announced that the bonuses were being suspended.
The corporation's executive directors had already agreed to waive their bonuses for 2009, and around 400 senior staff with salaries of over £60,000 are facing a pay freeze this year.
Sir Michael said: "We have reached agreement that executive board bonus payments will be suspended until further notice and not reintroduced without the trust's approval."
Reader views (22)
The government appointed these people to head up the BBC, then have the audacity to complain. This is an issue of Labours own making despite those in power trying to point the finger elsewhere.
- Neil, Southampton, UK
What on earth is are the BBC bosses getting bonuses for? Ingenuity in fleecing the license payers.
- Brian Edmonds, Farnham UK
I like the BBC and am amazed at the complainents who seem happy to watch endless repeats and adverts and pay handsomely for the privilage. The BBC with considerably more original programming is a bargain and also having spent time in the US, you can see where it will end if the Govt starts to break up thhe organisation
- Edwin Sheppard, Pinner, UK
I do not agree that the licence fee to fund the BBC should be shared out. It is OUR BBC. This is only coming about because the Government has squandered our money on other madcap schemes and stunts and is trying to cut spending overall by 10% which the PM says he will not do. A lie by another name. What I do not agree with is the BBC squandering our money sending by HUNDREDS of its employees to events which do not warrant that number. Monstrous expenses claims. Bonuses. Taxi rides, and massive money on so-called celebrities, the names of which it is fully aware of. People we could do without. Then our money could be put to better use or the fee reduced. If the BBC carries on with its arrogant stance the cut the LIcence Fee.
- Albert Hall, hove england
I dumped my TV four years ago because I was fed up with the rubbish that was being broadcast and objected to paying the license fee. I find that rolling news is particularly bad. I was in a pub when the Lions team for the first test in South Africa was announced. Sky managed to spin it out for 30 minutes.
- Bj, London
Pot, kettle, black ... for MPs to comment on lack of leadership is hilarious .......
- Marianne, SW France/London
Apparently the TV license fee costs £150 million to collect. Collect a similar amount via an increase in VAT, and allocate in the appropriate manner. Disestablish collection and monitoring organisation AND save some worthless administration......deal with the BBc once the funding has been sorted. Like the rescued banks, the Tax Payers own the BBC.....
- Sam Dickins, London
It can't go on, at some point people will just stop paying this crazy tax. Does anyone serioulsy believe we are the worlds best braodcasters and that we should pay £140.00 to watch telly ! The rest of the world just thinks we are mugs!
- Damian Bush, North London
"He accused director-general Mark Thompson and Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trust, of poor leadership which had left many staff in "despair"."- Bradshaw has a point, and let's face it, he is an expert on poor leadership that has left millions in despair!
The BBC management are showing the same arrogance that their Westminster masters have shown for years. They believe that they should be left to spend OUR MONEY without the inconvenience of having to justify themselves to those that pay.
The BBC has become nothing more than a left wing propaganda broadcaster. The best thing that could happen to it would be for everyone to stop paying the licence fee and watch it disappear.
Not even control-freak Brown and his stinking government could successfully prosecute the entire nation.
The BBC belongs to us, its broadcasting content and policies should eb set by us.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
I write and ex-employee of the BBC and I am proud of that fact. The BBC excellent in News and Current Affairs and period drama and the reasons for this is that News and CA and period drama is not punctuated by advertisements which are often insulting to the viewer. There is a certain hypocrisy here people complain about the licence fee and yet spend a good deal of money on various packages, when they should, as suggested, let the advertiser pay for the television broadcasts. There are potential viewers on main land Europe who, I am sure, if it came to it pay for a package of television be it BBC, ITV and BskyB and so on. So I believe it would serve a better purpose to "get-off" the BBC's back and allow them to continue in what is best in television and that is advert free PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING!!!
- Arthur Lincoln, Roeselare, Belgium
Do BBC executives ever sit at home thinking there's nothing to watch on tv? The BBC has completely forgotten how to make programmes. They've sold off the contents of their costume department for next to nothing; appointed idiots to commission ineptly made programmes from their nasty friends; flogged off what little editorial independence they had left to Labour Party propagandists. Anyone with any talent whatsoever has been pensioned off and the dross who are left spend their time lining their pockets and travelling the world at our expense to visit sporting events, pop concerts and minor events in attractive parts of the world that they've bigged-up in order to justify their presence. The BBC exists, not to make programmes, but to provide lavish livestyles for executives and dislikeable, charisma-free presenters and their agents.
BUT the BBC must NEVER to sold off to Philip Green/Simon Cowell or any of the other evil vultures circling its remains.
- Desperate Dan, Masham, Yorks
The one thing I am NOT paying my licence fee to do is subsidise failing TV companies to put on programs that are uneconomic to broadcast on commercial TV. If TV companies can't afford to carry on, then they should go bust just like any other enterprise. By the way, I never noticed any commercial TV company offering a penny to the licence payers when they were all making millions, so why should we be offering them one single penny to bail them out now?
As for childrens' TV, it was this Government that ensured the destruction of commercial television's broadcasting of programs made for children when they banned all the types of advertising that used to pay for it. So it's a bit rich for the Government to start weeping and wailing now about the demise of childrens' TV and demand that my licence money be used to subsidise the return of these programs.
- Kate, London
Look - it's simple...let's just scrap the licence fee and make the BBC get their revenue from advertisers. I for one rarely watch any BBC programmes and am astounded at the cost of the annual licence fee. Get rid is what I say!
- Ali Sichilongo, London
Cut their salaries by a half and you'll still find excellent people lining up to take on the job of CEO.
No one deserves that kind of money or bonuses.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon
The only fair way to fund the BBC is by a "pay to view". I did not renew my licence and will not do so until Mark Thompson demonstrates some respect for the wishes of those of us who pay his salary. It is an insult to the intelligence of viewers to refer to gutter level presenters such as Ross as "talented". I would be more than willing to pay for the very few BBC programmes I might watch - but I will not fund a corporation which has allowed broadcasting standards to drop to the present all time low.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
Top slicing is another term, for giving other poorly run TV companies free money, it's a subsidy.
Scrap this wretched TV tax now.
- P I Staker, London
And the Murdoch empire does not have one- The BBC does need to be wrested from the liberal elite, and stop promoting people on nepotism. It's news reports since Hutton have been abysmal.
Like everything in the public sector it needs less managers and beurocacy and more professional input at the top. It also needs to un-couple itself from a failed government.
- Katie, Swansea
Was it Goering who said "Every time I hear the word 'culture' I reach for my revolver"? Does Bradshaw even know what the word means? I thought that after Andy Burnham in the Coolture post things could only get better. Obviously not. Bradshaw is either blind to the fact that the commercial world is out to "get" the Beeb, or favours that approach. Either way he should be ashamed of himself.
- Alex, London
It's the televison tax stupid! The BBC bury heads in the sand yet again. Why are we funding these idiot people.
- Taxfreetv, London
As a former BBC staff, I am afraid the BBC has been run by fat-cats and bureaucrats for the three last decades and promotion is often proportional to one's sychophantic abilities.
- Hector Vigo, SPAIN
What 'reform' - it's the licence fee itself that the vieqwers want shot of. If people love the BBC as much as the BBC claims they do, they will readily finance the corporation through a voluntary subscription.
- J Miller, England
Ben, comb your hair and tuck your shirt in if you want to be taken seriously.
- Ted, London
