Ahmed deserved less pay, says BBC chief

A SENIOR BBC executive has argued the broadcaster was justified in paying presenter Samira Ahmed less than Jeremy Vine because of differences in news and entertainment shows.

Newswatch presenter Ahmed has brought the corporation to an employment tribunal and claims she was paid a sixth of what Vine received for hosting the similar show Points of View.

Ahmed, inset, is seeking nearly £700,000 in back pay and said she and Vine did similar work, while the BBC rejects the claim, saying the work is not comparable.

At the Central London Employment Tribunal hearing yesterday, the BBC’s director of strategy, Gautam Rangarajan, said there were key differences in the roles and reach of the two presenters.

Mr Rangarajan said: “Newswatch is a news programme. It is made therefore by the BBC’s inhouse news department. Points of View is a non-news entertainment programme which ranges across every TV genre that the BBC makes.

“There is a clear distinction between the two shows, and genres, which is reflected in their broadcasting slot and their audience.”

He added that personalities of presenters had a role in non-news programmes including Points of View. “When people turn onto the news, they turn on to see the news that day,” Mr Rangarajan said. “However, if you have a different presenter for a nonnews show, the audience will go up or down and the appreciation they have can be seen.” However, Claire Darwin, representing Ahmed, said the average audience figure had remained stable over the past seven years. The tribunal continues.