BBC Disclosure: July to September 2009 - a Press Roundup

This morning the BBC released additions to its original disclosures around executive pay and expenses. These include lists of the business-related expenses of the 107 most senior decision-makers in the Corporation for the period July to September 2009. We have also published the Gifts and hospitality register for these senior managers covering the period April to June and July to September 2009.

In addition to this we've published the total amount that we pay to artists, presenters, musicians and other contributors over the financial year that ended in March 2009. This comes to £229m - 6.56% of the Licence Fee (further details are contained here).

Here's a round-up of some of the headlines:

In the Daily Mail: 'BBC pays £230million every year to top presenters and actors'.

The Independent earlier in the day had the headline: 'BBC pays £229m a year for 'talent'' (though they later amended their online copy to read: 'BBC's top stars paid £54 million') while Broadcast gave us: 'BBC spent £229m on talent last year' (note: this is a subscriber only link).

The Guardian concentrated on the proportion that went to presenters earning more than £150,000 per annum with: 'BBC spent £54m on top-earning stars'.

Predictably, by this afternoon, the Evening Standard had escalated the revelation into an: 'Outrage over BBC cover-up of stars' £230m pay' - indicating that the story may still be appearing over the next few days.

Meanwhile the Telegraph while also running with the response of MPs to the talent disclosures ('BBC like the 'Duckhouse gang' for not disclosing star salaries, say MPs') but also focussed on the executive expenses, with: 'BBC executives' expenses up by 8 per cent'. Later in the day Broadcast also focused on executive cuts with: 'BBC execs cut back on presents' (subscriber only article), reporting that BBC execs had been, ' cutting back on claims for presents and extravagant schmoozing.'