Zoe Ball’s Pay Cut Means Highest-Paid BBC Star Still Male | BBC

Zoe Ball took a £ 380,000 pay cut to stay as host of the Radio 2 breakfast show for two more years, meaning she avoids becoming the first woman to feature in the lead from the BBC’s list of highest paid stars.

Ball’s salary had reached £ 1.36million for his work presenting the UK’s most popular radio program, which reaches 8.1million listeners per week. However, a BBC spokesperson said Ball felt it was inappropriate to earn so much in the midst of a pandemic. They said she volunteered to take a pay cut last year during negotiations with the broadcaster and signed a new deal to earn another £ 980,000.

The presenter faced a battle to retain listeners after picking up the schedule from previous host Chris Evans. It had lost a million listeners before the pandemic but no new radio audience figures have been released for more than a year due to coronavirus restrictions on research.

Ball’s decision means Gary Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid star again, despite a 23% pay cut to £ 1.36million per year for his work featuring Match of the Day.

Other top earners in the BBC’s annual report include News at Ten presenter Huw Edwards, who has a salary of £ 425,000, Lauren Laverne who earns £ 395,000 a year to present on BBC 6Music and Desert Island Discs. , while Alan Shearer earns £ 390,000 for his work. as a football specialist.

Others include Question Time and Antiques Tour host Fiona Bruce for £ 405,000, Steve Wright of Radio 2 for £ 465,000 and Scott Mills for £ 375,000. Many behind-the-scenes executives were also very well paid, content manager Charlotte Moore with £ 400,000 a year.

However, the list of the highest incomes is incomplete and uneven. Major BBC stars who host some of the company’s biggest TV shows – such as the presenters of Strictly Come Dancing – do not see their salaries published because their programs are produced by the commercial arm of the company. As a result, the published pay list tends to include only reputable radio hosts, sports presenters, and highly paid journalists.

Money spent on the BBC’s top-paying on-screen talent has fallen dramatically in recent years after being forced to reveal the salary details of anyone who earns more than £ 150,000 a year, sparking more scandal broad on gender pay inequalities across society. Many prominent male presenters such as Jeremy Vine have been pressured into accepting substantial pay cuts, while others like Eddie Mair have chosen to switch to commercial stations.

Managing Director Tim Davie, whose own salary of £ 525,000 would put him at the top of the list, said his team was pushing for lower wages: “We want to get more value and are ready to make tough decisions in This measure “.

The BBC has also spent an average of £ 66,907 in severance pay for 1,106 staff who have been voluntarily dismissed or fired in the past year. Many longtime BBC correspondents were sacked last year, amid a much delayed newsroom reshuffle, believing this could be their last chance to take advantage of such generous payments.

Davie, who was appointed last September, stressed the need for the broadcaster to downsize its workforce as it faces tough negotiations with a hostile government over how much it can charge for the license fee. over the next five years.

During a press briefing alongside newly appointed BBC Chairman Richard Sharp, Davie has repeatedly highlighted how the company has cut 6% of its civil service workforce – the equivalent of around 1,200 jobs – during the last year, a decision which should please the governments. Many reporters at the company’s news service say it is being pushed to its limits by the current reorganization, which sees more staff working in multiple outlets rather than for a specific TV or radio program.

Davie also said he was proud of the impact of tough new rules on the BBC’s social media accounts, following a flood of criticism from Tory MPs over alleged anti-Tory bias. He said: “Our commitment to unbiased reporting is rock solid. But we know we must hold the highest standards and advocate for fairness every day in everything we do. “

Top 10 Highest Paid BBC Stars On Air in 2020/21:

1. Gary Lineker – £ 1.36m
2. Zoe Ball – £ 1.13million
3. Steve Wright – £ 465,000
4. Huw Edwards – £ 425,000
5. Fiona Bruce – £ 405,000
6. Stephen Nolan – £ 405,000
7. Lauren Laverne – £ 395,000
8. Vanessa Feltz – £ 390,000
9. Alan Shearer – £ 390,000
10. Scott Mills – £ 375,000