Bell: News readers paid too much
VETERAN BBC newsman Martin Bell has said that newsreaders are paid “far too much’ for reading ‘words off an autocue”.
He also revealed he never asked for a pay rise in 33 years at the Beeb.
The 82-year-old, who first starting working for the BBC in 1962 before quitting in the mid-1990s to run for election as an “anti-sleaze” MP, said he was “amazed” at how much BBC “news stars” earn.
The top earner is Huw Edwards, who is paid around £465,000-a-year, with others including Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis, on around £375,000-a-year.
He said: “It’s not like they’re risking their lives. I’m not angry about it but I just wonder how they can justify the salary to themselves.”