The newspaper for BBC pensioners – with highlights from Ariel online Life in the sticks From politics to Hill Sticks – Page 9 October 2013 • Issue 5 live aid, Staying on 2013 visitor bbC style the road conference Page 7 Page 9 Page 10 NEWS • MEMoriES • ClaSSifiE d S • Your lE ttE r S • o bituariES • CroS PEro 02 baCk at thE bbC BBC bosses incompetent on Trust seeks pay-offs, says Margaret Hodge audience views on BBC news There was ‘gross incompetence’ in the way the BBC handled large pay-offs to outgoing Audiences are to be asked what they executives, the chairwoman of the Commons spending watchdog has said. think of the BBC’s news and current affairs output. argaret Hodge, who questioned Mrs Hodge said that under Mr Byford’s Patten’s claims not to have known about The BBC Trust has opened a public seven senior BBC figures during contract he could have been paid off them were ‘damaging, unfair and consultation to gather views on everything a Public Accounts Committee with £500,000. misleading statements’. from Newsnight to Newsbeat, with the focus (PAC)hearing last month, said But Mr Thompson said he was paid almost In reply, Lord Patten said he took the charge on their quality and distinctiveness. Mit was an ‘unedifying experience’ watching twice that because the Corporation wanted of misleading the committee ‘very strongly’ It’s part of a service review, announced them ‘try to avoid responsibility’. him to be ‘fully focused’ on his job in the and insisted he had been told settlements for in February, that will cover network The issue of redundancy payments at final months of his tenure. Mr Byford and former marketing boss Sharon news and current affairs for UK audiences the BBC came to light after director general Asked by Mrs Hodge if the BBC had ‘lost Baylay were ‘contractual payments’ agreed (World Service and Global News are not George Entwistle received £450,000 when the plot’, Mr Thompson replied: ‘I do not before his appointment. included) across TV, radio and online. he resigned last November, having spent think we lost the plot.’ ‘I’m in the position in which I’m Among the content to be considered 54 days in the job. BBC HR director Lucy Adams told the accused of having misled the committee on will be the bulletins, Today, the News The figure amounted to one year’s salary committee the Corporation was trying to something I didn’t know and couldn’t have Channel, BBC Parliament and news rather than the six months he was entitled ‘get people out of the door’ with minimal been expected to know,’ he added. programmes on 5 live and the Asian to under the terms of his contract. Chairman disruption and no risk of legal action so it Ms Adams said she suggested a cap to the Network, as well as current affairs strands of the BBC Trust, Chris Patten, issued a was ‘occasionally’ necessary to pay more than executive board before Mr Byford’s package like Panorama, Question Time and This World. letter explaining the Trust’s decision, saying was contractually required. was agreed, but it had decided it would be ‘No part of the BBC is more important the amount was ‘justified and necessary’. In July, Lord Patten told the PAC he was ‘inappropriate to introduce the cap at to its audiences than its journalism,’ The National Audit Office (NAO) then ‘shocked and dismayed’ by the scale of pay- that time’. said BBC trustee Richard Ayre. ‘Now the asked if it could investigate Mr Entwistle’s offs and said that should Mr Thompson be Following the hearing, former BBC Trust is going to ask in detail what those severance pay, but the BBC said a called before MPs he would be as interested chairman Lord Grade said the Corporation audiences expect of the BBC, what they broader look at severance packages was as they were to hear why the Trust had not ‘suffers more and more from a lack of appreciate most, and where they think more appropriate. known about them. understanding the value of money’. we could give them an even more Around the same time, it was disclosed that But ahead of his appearance before the ‘The cheque comes in every April, distinctive service. redundancy payments at the Corporation had committee, Mr Thompson sent a letter to £3.5 billion, and if you don’t have to earn ‘In a world where people can choose doubled to £58m between 2010 and 2011. the PAC saying he had emails which showed the money and you’ve got that quantity of their news when and where they want The figures came to light as part of a Freedom Trust members had approved the payments. money it’s very hard to keep a grip on the it, and from a huge range of sources, of Information request by The Telegraph. Earlier, Mr Thompson told MPs that Lord reality of the value of money.’ we want to understand how best the The biggest pay-off was awarded to BBC can retain their trust and confidence Mark Byford, the former deputy director so that it remains clearly their number general, whose severance package amounted The biggest severance payments included: one choice.’ to nearly £1m. • Mark Byford, deputy director general, 32 years of service - £949,000 The review, which will also include During questioning, former BBC director • Jana Bennett, executive director, 33 years - £687,333 audience research, comes in the wake of general Mark Thompson defended Mark • Departmental director, 25 years - £866,300 last December’s Pollard Review which Byford’s package as ‘value for money’, saying • Caroline Thomson, chief operating officer, 17 years - £680,400 highlighted the ‘seriously flawed’ decision he had been under ‘ferocious pressure’ from • Controller, 31 years - £476,700 by Newsnight to drop an investigation into the BBC Trust to make savings by cutting • George Entwistle, director general, 23 years - £470,300 claims of abuse by Jimmy Savile. senior staff. • Departmental director, 2 years - £394,500 Newsnight subsequently came under fire for He accused Lord Patten, its chairman, • Controller, 26 years - £381,600 wrongly implicating Lord McAlpine as a of making ‘unfair and untrue’ claims not • Roly Keating, departmental director, 29 years - £376,000 (money returned minus tax) paedophile, which led to the BBC paying to have known about Mr Byford’s payment, • Project director, 19 years - £356,200 £185,000 plus costs in libel damages. saying he believed he had the Trust’s • Head of department, 33 years - £347,900 But Ayre insisted that the review was ‘full support’. not triggered by these past failings, nor will it revisit them. ‘Colleagues at the Trust took the decision to conduct it last summer, when News to lose 75 more posts by 2015 the Corporation was basking in the Olympic afterglow – that was before the News staff were told last month where the cannot guarantee that will always be team will be down an assistant editor. events of last autumn about which much cuts would fall in the second phase of possible,’ said James Harding, director of At 5 live, overnight programming will take has been written. It is not a response to Delivering Quality First. news and current affairs. the hit, while Phil Williams’ late night anything,’ he said. Up to 75 posts will close across BBC In Newsgathering the Moscow bureau chief programme will lose its dedicated business The Trust does want to hear how News and the English Regions in the 2014/15 post is to close, with the team to be managed presenter as part of business unit cuts. audiences get their BBC news and whether financial year. These include the loss of 19 from a newly formed Europe and Former News also says it will save the equivalent the Corporation can deal with changing posts in the newsroom, 17.5 in Soviet Union bureau in Brussels. A senior of two posts by cutting back on taxis; it viewing habits and new technology. Newsgathering and five at Radio 5 live. manager role will also go.The News Channel wants to stop those staff on night shifts that The review is expected to conclude ‘I am determined that, where we can, we will lose a presenter and three journalists, with officially finish at 7am from taking taxis home in spring 2014. will avoid compulsory redundancies, but we online closing four posts. The Six and Ten if they are able to leave work earlier. 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 December To view Ariel online, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/ariel. 2013. The copy deadline is Friday 1 November. PROSPERO OCTOBER 2013 baCk at thE bbC 03 What price a safe pair of hands? By Andrew Harvey, former Editor of Ariel The levels of executive pay and bonuses caused a lot of disgruntlement when I was at the BBC and I’d be surprised if the subject doesn’t still ignite canteen conversation. Ministers would not be talking of the BBC’s annus horribilis. deputy director general in 2004. Most In my view, it is a near certainty that had notably, he piloted the BBC through the Byford still been in his post, most, if not all, storm that followed the Hutton report and of the recent damaging events would have the departure of chairman Gavyn Davies and been avoided.