Zoe Ball's pay rise wtf

WiresDreamDisasters

UnclePsychosis said:

When the BBC say things like "we believe Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball are personalities that our viewers and listeners respond to" its very easy to sit there and say 'nah, don't believe you'.

But here's the thing. Mrs Brown's Boys. I don't know a single person who admits to liking it. Not one. Literally not one. But its insanely successful. 7 million views on Christmas day successful. Its undeniably popular. 

Viewed in that context, I can entirely believe the Beeb when they say that the Linekers, Shearers, and Balls of the world pull in an audience. The public as a whole cannot be judged by your own personal anecdote. There's 60m+ of us. 

I know TONS of people who like Mrs Brown's Boys. I tell them they're all idiots as well. Because they are.

But you're right. Our small little bubbles - whether it's to do with whatever BS we watch, or our politics, etc etc - are NEVER representative of the whole country or world.

I mostly watch Youtube, Netflix, BFI, and Amazon Prime video.

UnclePsychosis

WiresDreamDisasters said:

UnclePsychosis said:

When the BBC say things like "we believe Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball are personalities that our viewers and listeners respond to" its very easy to sit there and say 'nah, don't believe you'.

But here's the thing. Mrs Brown's Boys. I don't know a single person who admits to liking it. Not one. Literally not one. But its insanely successful. 7 million views on Christmas day successful. Its undeniably popular. 

Viewed in that context, I can entirely believe the Beeb when they say that the Linekers, Shearers, and Balls of the world pull in an audience. The public as a whole cannot be judged by your own personal anecdote. There's 60m+ of us. 

I know TONS of people who like Mrs Brown's Boys. I tell them they're all idiots as well. Because they are.

But you're right. Our small little bubbles - whether it's to do with whatever BS we watch, or our politics, etc etc - are NEVER representative of the whole country or world.

I mostly watch Youtube, Netflix, BFI, and Amazon Prime video.

I can quite honestly and quite genuinely say that I have literally never to my knowledge met someone in real life who has admitted to liking MBB. A bit like Pink Floyd or Queen fans, these absolute headcases must be all around us, hiding their deviancy in plain sight whilst us sensible people go about our lives in ignorance of the horror that lies beneath. Terrifying. 

WiresDreamDisasters

UnclePsychosis said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

UnclePsychosis said:

When the BBC say things like "we believe Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball are personalities that our viewers and listeners respond to" its very easy to sit there and say 'nah, don't believe you'.

But here's the thing. Mrs Brown's Boys. I don't know a single person who admits to liking it. Not one. Literally not one. But its insanely successful. 7 million views on Christmas day successful. Its undeniably popular. 

Viewed in that context, I can entirely believe the Beeb when they say that the Linekers, Shearers, and Balls of the world pull in an audience. The public as a whole cannot be judged by your own personal anecdote. There's 60m+ of us. 

I know TONS of people who like Mrs Brown's Boys. I tell them they're all idiots as well. Because they are.

But you're right. Our small little bubbles - whether it's to do with whatever BS we watch, or our politics, etc etc - are NEVER representative of the whole country or world.

I mostly watch Youtube, Netflix, BFI, and Amazon Prime video.

I can quite honestly and quite genuinely say that I have literally never to my knowledge met someone in real life who has admitted to liking MBB. A bit like Pink Floyd or Queen fans, these absolute headcases must be all around us, hiding their deviancy in plain sight whilst us sensible people go about our lives in ignorance of the horror that lies beneath. Terrifying. 

Silent majority famalam

Lebarque

Fretwired said:

menamestom said:

This is true, but the BBC are publicly funded, why not just let them go and replace them from people within?

Are the public really demanding these highly paid already famous people?  Most people would be happy with relative unknowns as long as they are good at their job.

You have to wonder why on a publicly funded platform we pay radio DJ's 10x what we pay the PM.

That said, it does explain Boris.....

I agree .. Boris and JRM don't need the money and the peanuts we pay our politicians means people with real talent do something else.

You only have to look at YouTube to see some really creative and engaging presenters running their own channels. Hire some of them. BBC pay is going through the roof at a time when programs are being cut. More Mrs Brown's boys anyone?

I don't think Zoe Ball is worth £1 million and neither is Lineker. And what happened to diversity? The top paid people at the BBC are middle-aged and white.

Edit:

Apparently Zoe Ball has 900,000 fewer listeners than Chris Evans whom she replaced. So that's an £1 for every listener she lost ... :-)

They're still going I think. The little lad with the afro is all grown up now.

UnclePsychosis

WiresDreamDisasters said:

UnclePsychosis said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

UnclePsychosis said:

When the BBC say things like "we believe Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball are personalities that our viewers and listeners respond to" its very easy to sit there and say 'nah, don't believe you'.

But here's the thing. Mrs Brown's Boys. I don't know a single person who admits to liking it. Not one. Literally not one. But its insanely successful. 7 million views on Christmas day successful. Its undeniably popular. 

Viewed in that context, I can entirely believe the Beeb when they say that the Linekers, Shearers, and Balls of the world pull in an audience. The public as a whole cannot be judged by your own personal anecdote. There's 60m+ of us. 

I know TONS of people who like Mrs Brown's Boys. I tell them they're all idiots as well. Because they are.

But you're right. Our small little bubbles - whether it's to do with whatever BS we watch, or our politics, etc etc - are NEVER representative of the whole country or world.

I mostly watch Youtube, Netflix, BFI, and Amazon Prime video.

I can quite honestly and quite genuinely say that I have literally never to my knowledge met someone in real life who has admitted to liking MBB. A bit like Pink Floyd or Queen fans, these absolute headcases must be all around us, hiding their deviancy in plain sight whilst us sensible people go about our lives in ignorance of the horror that lies beneath. Terrifying. 

Silent majority famalam

People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis. You can't trust people. 

ICBM

I’d happily pay for BBC4 if it meant I didn’t contribute to the shit they produce on the other channels most of the time. I do listen to Radio 2 sometimes, but I wouldn’t pay for it.

On the other hand I like Pink Floyd - well, the bits Roger Waters wrote at least - and Queen, so I’m clearly a deviant...

UnclePsychosis

ICBM said:

I’d happily pay for BBC4 if it meant I didn’t contribute to the shit they produce on the other channels most of the time. I do listen to Radio 2 sometimes, but I wouldn’t pay for it.

On the other hand I like Pink Floyd - well, the bits Roger Waters wrote at least - and Queen, so I’m clearly a deviant...

Yeah, but not Mrs Brown's Boys, right? 

When even Queen and Floyd fans don't like something that's when klaxons and sirens end up going off ;-)

Kilgore

UnclePsychosis said:

But here's the thing. Mrs Brown's Boys. I don't know a single person who admits to liking it. Not one. Literally not one. But its insanely successful. 7 million views on Christmas day successful. Its undeniably popular. 

I've never seen it.

I've got no idea who Agnes Brown is or Cathy Brown for that matter. I haven't got a clue that Winnie McGooghan is the next door neighbour or that her husband is always in hospital and never appears on screen.
As for Mark Brown, Father Damien, Grandad and Buster Brady I simply have no idea who they are...

And I haven't seen the film. 

RandallFlagg

Danny1969 said:

Why doesn't the BBC go over to the Netflix model, people who like BBC content can pay a monthly subscription and log in and watch it. 
Those of us with no interest in Zoe Ball, Eastenders and whatever other crap they make can spend our money elsewhere without being branded a licence dodging criminal 

The BBC offers more than just TV, there is the World Service, 10 national radio stations, Web News & digital services as part of their Public Service charter.

plus...they Inform, Educate & Entertain. Not sure which of those categories Zoe Ball falls into though. :-) 

ICBM

RandallFlagg said:

...they Inform, Educate & Entertain. Not sure which of those categories Zoe Ball falls into though. :-) 

All of them... if you take two letters from Inform, three from Entertain and three from Educate.

Babones

Fretwired said:

Can someone explain to me why in the current economic situation, with people being made redundant due to Covid-19 and lockdown, why Zoe Ball deserves a £990K pay rise so that she now earns £1.4 million for hosting a radio show?

Perhaps they asked her to 'think of a number'.

the_jaffa

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

...they Inform, Educate & Entertain. Not sure which of those categories Zoe Ball falls into though. :-) 

All of them... if you take two letters from Inform, three from Entertain and three from Educate.

Beyond me that one. 

FWIW, I like Zoe Ball, both on tv and radio. 

Karlos

I dunno if anyone has mentioned this but, first thing in the morning I really don't need Zoe Ball's breakneck speed-talking.

She makes me out of breath when she does that:

 short-sharp.....inhalation-with-no-break-in-speaking-to-get-as-many-words-in-as-possible-before-she-has-to-stop......and-start-again-at-breakneck-speed.

randella

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

...they Inform, Educate & Entertain. Not sure which of those categories Zoe Ball falls into though. :-) 

All of them... if you take two letters from Inform, three from Entertain and three from Educate.

Nfrm, ntrtan, ecat?

Jonathangus

ICBM said:

RandallFlagg said:

...they Inform, Educate & Entertain. Not sure which of those categories Zoe Ball falls into though. :-) 

All of them... if you take two letters from Inform, three from Entertain and three from Educate.

Irritate?

EricTheWeary

I think that a public service broadcaster is desirable but that the BBC is larger than it needs to be. A Strictly or a Mrs Brown's Boys are popular enough that they could survive in a commercial space and so don't need to be on the BBC ( and in broadcasting shows like this the BBC provides unfair competition to commercial channels). On the other hand I presume they produce an income so probably (?) cost the licence payer zero and may even be subsidising  the World Service or BBC4 documentaries about motorways. I think it's also easy to get snobby about these things and feel that public service broadcasting should only be high brow.
Compared to Netflix et al the licence fee is brilliant value for money for me but I realise it is only so because I'm effectively being subsidised by people paying it who make little or no use of BBC services. 
With a reducing interest in broadcast and curated television and radio and a Tory government which is no friend of public anything and in the midst of an economic turndown my feeling is that the BBC should be more aware of how they are percieved ( even if Ball's salary is a drop in the ocean of their total costs) and find an alternative to splashing the cash on middling celebrities.  

LightB4sound

Just one thing to consider. The BBC for all its sins (to many people) does a lot to support music, drama and the arts. BBC Introducing, Radio 6, Radio 3 (world music, classical music which would not be played on a commercial station), BBC Writers room, BBC R&D, sponsored stages at smaller festivals, OBs from smaller festivals (eg Womad)  and so on.

If the BBC were forced to compete with the market, these would all go because they are not always commercially viable, but many of us are reliant on them. BBC Radio 3 can play music from new composers because of this, Classic FM just sticks the big hitters. The same with 6 Music, no commercial station with it's nationally syndicated playlists would play some of the new artists or music that gets played on there. This is something to shout about....especially given that this is a music related forum and I guess some of might be musicians. 

The BBC do a lot for the arts, and we can all use this to our benefit. Submit a track to BBC introducing, it will get listened to, and may get played on the radio. Try that with Netflix, Sky etc.

As with all things in life, the BBC is far from perfect, but it does  have a large remit trying to keep 60 million people happy! When it gets it right it produces content that is world beating (travel around the world and see what other people think of the BBC) and when it gets it wrong, it gets it wrong. But don't we all?

For presenters pay, this is always going to be a tough call. As mentioned already, all of these people could be on 5 times as much moving to a commercial channel. Whilst I support them bring up new talent, how many of you or your friends and family would watch/listen to a program with a total unknown? It is exactly the same with music, do you listen mostly to bands you know or do you actually go out and support unknown bands? The BBC has to have some named talent or the majority would not watch, it is a sad fact of life.

Like many things in life, this is a case of be careful what you wish for, because once it is gone, there will be no going back. Politics will ensure that, because there is one thing ANY government doesn't want and that is a public service broadcaster. The BBC is slated by both the left and the right for bias, which to me seems to probably be the right balance. If no one likes you, you might be doing something right.

ESBlonde

I'm a contrary individual and so I'm throwing this out just to stir opinion, this may or may not represent my views.

Listen to us, we won't pay for TV, but we think musicians should be paid more for thier recordings or live performances!

The world has got a bit skewed, in the hey day of the recording world (60-90s) a person could become a millionair in a few months - I can't remember many people complaining. Now they can't and people are complaining. But TV presenters can't make money while the hay is in the bush being led to water (or something).

Commercial forces will have thier way, the BBC needs to have dancing on Mrs Brown in the East End because it brings in viewers. They don't all share our opinions or even education, but thier eyes are as valid as anyone elses.

axisus

Meh. Who cares. Person gets job, earns money. 

Why don't we all moan about the people here who get paid too much. I'm one of them ...

randella

ESBlonde said:

But TV presenters can't make money while the hay is in the bush being led to water (or something).

@ESBlonde - some good points.  In this new era of openness, I lol'ed it for the metaphor which made me chuckle .