The newspaper for BBC pensioners – with highlights from Ariel online Community champion 50 years in local politics Page 6 June 2013 • Issue 3 Broadcast Golders Green engineers Remembering Hippodrome shortfall Just William centenary Page 3 Page 8 Page 9 NEWS • MEMORIES • ClaSSIFIEDS • Your lETTERS • OBITUARIES • CroSPERO 02 BACK AT THE BBC Television comes Standing room New appointment top in Ofcom media tracker survey only at BBCPA AGM More people get their news from television There was a full house at Friends House, to BBC Pensions than from any other source, according to Euston, on 18 April when 145 members Ofcom’s survey. of the BBC Pensioners’ Association Ian Cutter has recently been appointed as Head of Pension Despite the rise of the internet as a convened for the annual general meeting. Shared Services. Some of you may remember Ian from when dominant player in the media landscape, a After the Association’s formal business large majority of people in the UK still get was concluded (including re-electing he worked at the Pension and Benefits Centre 13 years ago, their news from old-fashioned television. the committee), the meeting heard According to Ofcom’s annual media as a Senior Pensions Administrator. tracker survey, published in May, 72% from Geoff Jones, introduced as the of respondents said TV was their main BBC Pension Scheme’s outgoing an has a myriad of knowledge and administration and service operations source of news. The internet trailed far pensioner-elected trustee, and guest experience to bring to the role, against agreed standards. behind at 10%, with newspapers lagging speaker Steve Hewlett. gained over more than 20 years in the Ian said: ‘It feels good to be back and see even further behind at 7%. Geoff reassured the meeting that while pensions industry. He will report to so many familiar faces within the Centre. In people 65 years and older, an the Scheme’s shortfall – which the BBC is IJoy Moore (CEO) on the delivery of There have been some significant pension overwhelming majority (83%) get their responsible for making good – has stood pension administration to the Scheme changes since I left the BBC. I am very much news from television most of the time. at over £2bn, the Scheme’s assets are at Trustees and the BBC on employer pension looking forward to the challenge of But in the 16- to 34-year-old age their highest ever: £10.2bn. Geoff said the matters. Ian will oversee the delivery of building on and enhancing the service and group, 18% said the internet was their intention for the BBC to make this good high quality, accurate and efficient reputation of the Centre in the future.’ main source for UK and world news. over 11 years was on track, so he remained ‘fairly confident’ that the books would be re-balanced by 2026. For further information he commended the BBC My Pension website, before closing to Bullying is ‘real concern’ at today’s BBC appreciative applause. With the formal meeting over, Steve Sexual harassment is ‘rare’ at today’s BBC, according to the Respect at Work Review, which Hewlett – formerly editor of Panorama and latterly of Radio 4’s The Media Show – was reports no specific examples of this kind of behaviour by current ‘talent’. cautiously optimistic about ‘The Future of the BBC’ and regaled the meeting with a ullying, though, was found to be a However, the cases that were discussed While the unions claim that this pressure thoughtful, witty commentary about the ‘very real concern’, with misuse of tended to feature young, almost exclusively has made managers behave worse, some Corporation’s recent history. Steve said that power often perpetrated by female victims, just setting out on their leaders pointed to a lack of respect from Lord Patten was to be trusted as someone managers or going unchallenged. careers, while the perpetrators were in discontented staff. One said the role who is devoted to the BBC, but a long BThe BBC will be ‘overhauling’ its bullying positions of influence. The victims felt that required a ‘tin hat’, while another spoke interregnum while Mark Thompson was and harassment policies as a result of they had nowhere ‘safe and confidential’ to of ‘quiet rioting’. still in post and before the appointment of the findings. go to make their complaints. There was also a widespread belief that George Entwistle had led to unnecessary Over 900 people – including senior Discussion of broader abuses of power people skills in managers were held in tensions that sapped the authority of leaders, producers, presenters, engineers, were added to the review’s scope on the lower regard than other attributes such as both DGs. runners, technicians and contract staff – chose advice of Dinah Rose QC, who had expert editorial judgement or technical knowhow. He likened the BBC to a ship laden with to take part in the process which sought to input to the project. ‘We do not do enough to ensure that good ballast which heels in the wind, but comes discover what current employees think about Instances of rudeness, victimisation and people management is not a lottery but a back again. The ballast in the BBC’s case is the way they are treated, as well as how verbal abuse were shared by all levels of central and integral part of being an employee the enormous amount of affection and complaints are handled. staff, with examples heard of managers at the BBC,’ says the report. respect in which the public holds the They took part in group and one-to-one bullying staff and staff bullying contract Some of the managers who took part felt Corporation. However, if any of the ballast sessions and provided letter, voicemail and workers. ‘It is not pervasive or endemic in the DQF label should be dropped as it was is lost, then there is the risk of keeling email evidence. Representations were also today’s BBC,’ the report states, ‘but it is visible, ‘hugely tarnished’. over, from which the BBC may not be able made by former staff, union reps and frequent and consistent enough to be a very The requirement to ‘do more with less’ to recover. union members. real concern.’ had also meant that effective conversations Looking towards Charter renewal, he felt In the foreword, the BBC Management The report also made references to the about people’s performances often went by that the BBC should make more use of Board says the report makes ‘difficult and ‘highly-pressurised’ live broadcasting the wayside, while appraisals were judged as independent production and did not agree uncomfortable reading’ at times. environment, which was often cited as inconsistent, ineffective and not trusted. with services such as iPlayer being freely ‘Nevertheless, we believe that this is an an excuse for ‘confrontational, rude and The management board vows to make available, because this was unfairly important piece of work, and we wanted abusive’ behaviour. improvements to change the BBC’s culture. competitive with the commercial sector. to tackle it with the openness, transparency The review identified a ‘strong The new Director General, Tony Hall, says: After rousing applause, he stayed on in and integrity that people expect from undercurrent of fear’ among staff to complain ‘We need to be honest about our general discussion with members. the BBC.’ about bullying. Some reckoned it would be shortcomings and single minded in Meanwhile, George Auckland demonstrated ‘career suicide’ to escalate such an issue, while addressing them. the electronic version of the Memory Bank, Sexual harassment others worried that they would be labelled as ‘I want zero tolerance of bullying and a as will be found on the ‘Members Only’ While triggered by the Jimmy Savile scandal, troublemakers or victims. culture where people feel able to raise page of the BBCPA’s website. the review suggested that sexual harassment concerns and have the confidence that they A longer version of this report is to be within the Corporation is now far from DQF will be dealt with appropriately.’ found on the website: www.bbcpa.org.uk commonplace, with 37 formal complaints The cuts programme was often cited by Hugh Sheppard made over the past six years. those who took part as ‘a cause of strain on teams and individuals’. Please send your editorial contributions, or comments/feedback, to: Prospero, BBC Pension and Prospero is provided free of charge to retired BBC Benefits Centre, Broadcasting House, Cardiff CF5 2YQ. employees, or to their spouses and dependants. Email: [email protected] Prospero provides a source of news on former Please make sure that any digital pictures you send are colleagues, developments at the BBC and pension scanned at 300 dpi. issues, plus classified adverts. To advertise in Prospero, please see page 12. The next issue of Prospero will appear in To view Ariel online, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/ariel. August 2013. The copy deadline is 5 July 2013. PROSPERO JUNE 2013 BACK AT THE BBC 03 BBC to train broadcast engineers to meet critical shortfall In ten years’ time, the BBC would struggle to deliver something as technically complex as the London Olympics – that’s unless it addresses a critical skills shortage in broadcast engineering now. t’s a stark assessment by John Linwood, ‘We have an ageing workforce of very skilled Focus on Connect Clubs chief technology officer, who in April people and we’re starting to get to the This month we are focusing on some of announced an apprenticeship scheme point where a number of them are going our Connect Clubs. As a retired Club that will train up a new generation of to start retiring in the next few years,’ the Member you can access any of our activity Iengineers for the UK media industry’s future.