Mair and Marr ‘face big salary cuts’
THE BBC is asking eddie Mair and Andrew Marr to take hefty salary cuts as it scrambles to close the yawning pay gap between men and women.
The presenters are two of the biggest earners in the News department, taking home up to £800,000 a year between them.
According to insiders, bosses are planning to cut their salaries amid concerns they are dramatically out of kilter with the rest of the corporation. Marr, 58, is paid between £400,000 and £450,000 for hosting two shows – Start the Week on Radio 4 and The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 on Sundays. His contract is up for renewal later this year, meaning the BBC would be able to impose a cut with or without his blessing. One source said: ‘It marks a negotiation point’.
Mair, 52, receives between £300,000 and £350,000 a year as the host of Radio 4’s daily show, PM. It is not clear whether the BBC will be able to force him to accept a pay cut, or whether he is a permanent member of staff – in which case the broadcaster would need his agreement.
Marr said he ‘understands’ the need for pay cuts, but had not been informed of the plan. Mair’s spokesman could not be reached for comment.
The BBC would not comment.