Britain’s BBC will reveal the salaries of its highest paid employees for the first time today in a move imposed by the government to improve transparency and value for money at the public broadcaster.
The BBC, funded by a tax on every television-owning household, has for years come under pressure to say how much it pays its biggest names and the obligation to name them was part of its latest 10-year legal settlement with the government.
The corporation says it has to compete with commercial broadcasters such as ITV and Sky to recruit top talent and said its approach to pay would not change.
“The BBC operates in a competitive market and this will not make it easier for the BBC to retain the talent the public love,” Director General Tony Hall said.
The corporation will publish the details of anyone earning more than £150,000 (RM838,148) a year at 1000 GMT. It has already said that one third of the names on the list are women, prompting Hall to say it must “go further and faster” on gender issues.
Source: Reuters
