Balding calls for BBC to reveal how much stars earn per hour
CLARE BALDING has said the BBC should reveal how much it pays its stars per hour, as she called on the corporation to be more transparent.
The presenter said the current policy of only disclosing a final figure for salaries stood in the way of true pay equality because it masked how many hours were put in to earn it.
Balding told teenage girls at Benenden, a private school in Kent, that “nobody knows how many days Gary Lineker does for his enormous salary”, The Sunday Times reported.
The Match of the Day host is the BBC’S best-paid star with a salary dwarfing that of Balding, despite her hosting major sporting showcases such as Wimbledon and the Olympics.
Lineker earns around £1.75million, roughly 10 times the amount Balding earns, according to the latest figures.
Balding’s comments come at a sensitive time for the corporation as it fights an employment tribunal case brought by Samira Ahmed over alleged gender pay disparities.
The Newswatch host claims she was paid a fraction of the salary of her fellow presenter Jeremy Vine, despite fronting shows with similar formats.
Balding is reported to have told pupils that the “only way” to reach gender pay equality at broadcasters such as the BBC was “with transparency”.
She said: “I mean complete transparency of what people are paid for the days they work. Not just a general number, because nobody knows how many days Gary Lineker does for his enormous salary, and until you know that, you can’t really make a judgment.”
The women’s football world cup attracted record audiences for the BBC over the summer and it now streamed a selection of fixtures from the Women’s Super League online.
But Balding claimed that the BBC’S professed enthusiasm for women’s sports “comes to a shuddering halt” once the men’s season begins.
Balding also said that she believed all experienced presenters on Today – Radio 4’s flagship news programme – should be paid the same shift rate.
Today was dragged into the row over equal pay when Sarah Montague revealed she was “incandescent with rage” at learning John Humphrys, her co-host, earned five times her salary.
An analysis by The Sunday Times indicated that Balding earned around £4,860 a day for 36 days worked in 2018-19.
Lineker, by contrast, was said to have worked 61 days at a daily rate of £28,689 – nearly six times that of his female colleague.
A BBC spokesman said: “It’s well known that the BBC pays less than people can earn at other commercial broadcasters and four out of five people tell us they want the biggest and best names on the BBC. Simplistic and partial calculations are not an accurate guide to the work individuals do.”