by Barbara May

Created on: March 09, 2010   Last Updated: March 21, 2010

Is our T.V. Licence money being used for paying top salaries instead of quality viewing?

Did you know that Fiona Bruce gets £500,000 a year, and Jeremy Paxton £1,000,000 a year?   I think Jeremy holds some clout but is he worth that?  However, when you consider others getting even more you have to ask yourself is our licence fee money getting well spent?   Do we just sit back and let this happen?    Should we not become more involved with these issues as we are funding them?  Then there was Jonathan Ross on his £18m salary over 3 years.  Okay you could say he was funny, enjoyed by a lot of viewers, but so are many other people on much lower salaries. If  you look at salaries in general such as those of M.Ps, and the bonuses paid to these financial banks etc., you start to wonder where are the ordinary working classes going wrong.  There are hundreds and thousands of  people in jobs today doing large amounts of work and long hours.  Sitting examinations, studying at nights, coping with family life, arranging babysitters, just to try and get  up the ladder, yet for some people money seems to roll in.    It also seems to me that if your face fits the bill with the BBC your well in.   Why does Fiona Bruce need to present the Antique Road Show, we don't need glamour, as everyone has their eye on the antiques?   She would be better placed on something to do with fashion.  Then we see her reading the news.  Eammon Andrews was the same, lovely guy, but hardly ever off the screen.  I think BBC should bring in new talent and give someone else a chance.

I understand that David Cameron is taking a leading role on this matter of TV presenters getting over paid and is hoping to bring it up in his election manifesto and is going to have to make the BBC declare their salaries.  Good and why not, but this is not the only area that needs looking at.  We could lead on to repeats certainly on a Saturday night.  I think Saturday night television is dire.   If we didn't have dancing what would there be to view?    I am tired of seeing the same things on and now Casualty has been put on even later, the only bit of decent viewing, and Sundays, Countryfile is interesting, but you nearly nod off in Larkrise to Candleford.  Where are the good films, the new ones, not the old ones from the 60's (which were good) but where is the new talent?  Shouldn't the BBC be looking at providing us with new talent, new films, without having to use our controls to search high and low for better viewing channels, and not wasting so much money on salaries? Put the money to better use BBC or watch your popularity plummet.

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