Beyer on BBC expenses
The Independent reports on the BBC’s expenses bill, which under the Freedom of Information Act is open to public scrutiny. The corporation spent £19.5m on flights and £16m on accommodation. Director general Mark Thompson’s expenses bill apparently included £8.75 on a meal in a motorway cafe and £1.75 for a phone call.
Reporter Ciar Byrne gave John Beyer a call. It was worth it:
The failure of the BBC is to explain where all the money goes. They do owe it to the viewers and listeners to be a bit more transparent. The figure of £36m would bear greater scrutiny.
Unbelievable.
Maybe we should ask Beyer for permission to look at his expense account….
Greater transparency? It gives you the amount Mark Thompson spent on a meal at a service station… what more does he want? A count of how many chips on the plate?
Mark Thompson spent £8.75 at a motorway service station! So what! Not an unusual expense, is it!
I suppose £8.75 is quite reasonable for a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea at service station prices.
I think we should scrap the licence fee and have the BBC funded commerically like all other media empires.
Other media companies have to compete to get money but the BBC just sits on it’s arse and takes money forcebally from ordinary people.
I agree with Beyer that the BBC must be more transparent about where the licence fee money goes.
Having said that I think Beyer is speaking from prejudice against the BBC for it’s output, which isnt always to his moral approval.
Dan, in my opinion, paying a licence fee is worth it if it means I don’t have to see advertisements that not only try to get me to buy things I don’t want, but which insult my intelligence in the process (Crazy Frog, anyone?).
re Beyer & his expenses, some might find it useful to go to the Company Registry site and download a few docs on company number 04706050. For £2 you can find out whats in this years accounts and the current appointments.