BBC in new equality row as Scots channel pays female host less
Flagship news show causes controversy before it airs
‘At a different point in her career’
THE BBC’s new Scottish TV channel was at the centre of an equal pay row last night after it emerged a male news presenter will earn more than his female co-host.
Former ITN journalist Martin Geissler and Rebecca Curran will front The Nine, an hour-long news show on BBC Scotland, set to launch in February with a yearly budget of £32million.
The Mail has learned that Mr Geissler, 47, will earn more than his fellow anchor Miss Curran, 32, who was in the BBC newsroom in Aberdeen and is described by the corporation ‘as one of the most tenacious broadcast journalists in the country’.
The pay gap is embarrassing for BBC Scotland as its director Donalda MacKinnon has spearheaded a project to ‘make the BBC a great place for women to work’.
While the BBC refused to disclose salaries, a spokesman said: ‘Martin is a very experienced journalist from ITN; Rebecca, by com- parison, came to BBC Scotland from STV a couple of years ago.
‘Clearly Rebecca is a talented and successful journalist but she is at a different point in her career. There is currently a differential in salary, however we have agreed a plan with Rebecca which means she will be on the same pay as Martin in two years.’
One senior industry source suggested it was likely that Mr Geissler would earn more than £80,000, while Miss Curran would get about £60,000 a year.
Last night, Scottish Tory equalities spokesman Annie Wells said: ‘The BBC is meant to be a front- runner when it comes to equal pay but is failing abjectly on this particular count.
‘Not paying a female presenter doing the same job as her male colleague is inexcusable.’
It emerged last month that women working for BBC Scotland have raised questions about equal pay. The BBC’s deputy directorgeneral Anne Bulford told MSPs 12 staff had lodged informal objections, while four others’ claims are at a ‘formal grievance’ stage.
In June, the BBC’s former China editor Carrie Gracie won a gender pay inequality battle, receiving an apology and a pay-out.
Hayley Valentine, editor of The Nine, based at BBC Scotland’s headquarters at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, said the show ‘aims to be a world-class programme combining international, UK and Scottish news with the needs of a Scottish audience at the heart of everything we do’.
Last night, former BBC journalist Professor Tim Luckhurst said: ‘The pay differential looks reasonable to me. Martin is demonstrably more experienced.
‘The commitment that Rebecca will catch up after two years also seems reasonable. She will learn a great deal in that time.’
But he warned that ‘the commitment to novelty and accessibility may presage an infotainment-based approach to reporting rather than a sincere commitment to hard news and investigation’.
The flagship programme, broadcasting Monday-Friday between 9-10pm, is part of a huge investment in the BBC in Scotland, which includes 80 new jobs.
Neither Mr Geissler nor Miss Curran wished to comment.
Graham Grant – Page 14