Category Archives: bbc rip-off

So, you thought the BBC indulgence fest at Glastonbury was an excess?

Anyone catch Sir Philip Green having a go at John Humphrys on Today around 8.20am about the BBC’s annual £3bn windfall from us, the license-payers? It was good stuff and clearly Humphrys was taken aback by the persistence of Green who seemed determined to talk about why the BBC should be allowed to take this cash from us. It’s always a hoot to hear the BBC challenged about their massive annual cash-grab and Humphrys seemed far from comfortable in the attempted debate.

Wonder what you make of the news that the BBC spent thousands of pounds in licence fee payers’ cash entertaining an astonishing 170 guests at Wimbledon?

“The corporation lavished £81,000 on a three-day hospitality event at this year’s championships, equal to almost £500 a head. The gathering was hosted by Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons and trustee Diane Coyle, the wife of BBC reporter Rory Cellan-Jones. They were treated to what was acclaimed as the ‘best-ever Wimbledon final’.The broadcaster’s Wimbledon entertaining budget included a £53,528 bill for ‘marquee and associated costs’ and another £18,281 for hospitality. So now you know how your money is being spent.”

Still, I bet the champagne and strawberries were most enjoyable….

I am sure you will have read that the BBC has been fined £400,000 by media watchdog Ofcom for misleading its audiences by “faking” phone-ins. The Comic Relief, Children in Need and Sport Relief TV shows were caught up in the scandal, along with Liz Kershaw on 6 Music and Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show. Now then, leaving the issue of the derisory size of this fine to one side, the bit that caught my eye was the pompous comment from the BBC Trust that “Our concern now is ensuring that the highest editorial standards are maintained to safeguard the public’s trust” But hang on – the systematic abuse of public trust which this investigation has revealed is incompatible with these alleged “highest standards” and so the idea that these can be “maintained” is a nonsense on stilts. The point is that the BBC has conducted a verging on the criminal abuse of public goodwill. It has shown utter contempt for the public. Does it face into this awkward reality? Does it hell! Instead it uses the entire shameful episode to spend even more of our taxes running a “training programme” for 19,000 employees on how not to rip-off the public!

Well now, at this time of looming economic recession, when the Great Leader himself is forced to admonish us proles to consumer rather less and reduce our wastage of food (Before tucking into his 8 course banquet at the G8 Meeting, natch!) how do those guardians of public broadcasting at the BBC respond to these tough times? Well, by awarding themselves 17% pay increases, that’s how! Mark Thompson, the Director-General, and nine other BBC bosses earned £4.96 million in 2007-08, up from £4.25 million the previous year. Most BBC employees took home 4% increases over the same period. Given the cutbacks in the private sector over the past year, I would like to know on what grounds the BBC fat cats get that much more bloated and even the workers ants get their inflation busting 4%? I mean, how can they afford it? Oh yes, I forgot, they just rip us off. Money for old rope – let’s hope it’s a rope to hang these parasites.

Wonder what you make of the news that families of those killed in the 7/7 suicide bombings in London have launched a bitter attack on the BBC yesterday for paying expenses to a disgraced academic who believes the atrocities may have been an intelligence agency conspiracy? At one point, Nicholas Kollerstrom telephoned the father of one victim to discuss whether his daughter’s body had been planted at the site of the Tavistock Square bus bombing. What a monster. Kollerstrom, who denies the Holocaust, was carrying out research for his role in the BBC’s Conpiracy Files, a documentary about the theories surrounding the 2005 bombings on the London transport system that killed 52 innocent victims. His theory is that the Al Qaeda inspired bombers were in fact “non-violent by nature” – “innocent patsies”, who had been set up by elements within the Israeli, British and US security agencies. Isn’t it great to know how wisely the BBC uses the tax it takes from us?

. Do you recall us discussing the BBC sneering at ITV’s X-Factor panelist Sharon Osbourne’s decision to leave that programme because her extortionate financial requests were not being granted a few days ago? So, can you guess where Sharon is going? That’s right – the BBC. It’s reported that Osbourne is being lined up to be a contestant on BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing”.

This might seem trivial but I think it speaks volumes. During the review of the papers on Today this morning, Sharon Osbourne’s decision to leave “The X Factor” show after the failure of talks for her to get her a £1m salary increase was greeted by chuckles from the BBC presenters. However when BBC presenters like Jonathan Ross get even greater salary hikes, that is considered “market rate.” I don’t think Sharon Osbourne is worth the money she is seeking nor do I think Wossie is worth the money he is getting. However my license tax is going to pay for Ross whether I like it or not. Therein lies the difference.