British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) radio and TV presenter Chris Evans earns more money than the best paid CEO in Kenya
— a cool $3.3 million per month.
Last year, a list compiled by a local daily placed the salary of the best paid Kenyan chief executive at Sh16.7 million a month.
Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore, who runs the most profitable company in Kenya, reportedly takes home about Sh10.7 million.
BBC, the national broadcaster, on Wednesday named its highest earners for the first time.
The 95-year-old corporation said Evans, the radio and TV presenter who hosted Top Gear for one series, was top of the list, taking home up to $3.3 million in 2016-17.This means that Evans takes home about Sh28.6 million a month.
The audit also revealed a yawning gap between the pay of top male and female stars’
In contrast, the highest paid woman was entertainment presenter Claudia Winkleman, who earned less than 500,000 pounds for her work on Strictly Come Dancing and other shows.
The BBC has come under pressure for years to say how much it pays its highest earners and the obligation to name them was part of its latest 10-year funding settlement with the government.
Funded by a licence fee levied on all TV-watching households, the BBC holds a central role in British public life, showing everything from royal weddings and sports events to local news and popular dramas through its TV channels, radio stations, and online sites.
While respected around the world, it has long been resented by its commercial rivals, who argue the licence fee gives it an unfair advantage and distorts the market.
The corporation said 96 stars and journalists earned salaries over $195,555 in the year or about Sh1.7 million a month, a level it says is needed to compete for talent with commercial rivals ITV and Sky and internet groups Google and Apple.
Salaries paid to its top journalists showed a similar disparity, with the male presenter of the main nightly news bulletin earning around 200,000 pounds a year more than his female counterpart.
The BBC’s supporters say it is a prized national institution that projects British culture around the world while providing essential domestic and international news.
Director General Tony Hall has acknowledged that the corporation needs to bridge the gender gap, and has vowed to have equality between the numbers of men and women appearing on air, and in the amount they are paid by 2020.
“We are a global broadcaster, we want to employ stars, we want to employ the very best presenters, correspondents,” Director General Tony Hall said. “We’re in a market, and it’s a competitive market.”
There is also a gap between what white stars and those from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background are paid.
George Alagiah, Jason Mohammad and Trevor Nelson are the highest paid stars, each receiving between £250,000 and £300,000 per year.
The highest-paid female star with a BAME background is BBC news presenter Mishal Husain, who received between £200,000 and £250,000.
It is the first time the pay details of stars earning more than £150,000 have been made public.
The revelations are required under the BBC’s new Royal Charter.
The figures quoted only refer to the amount of licence fee money each person receives and do not include their earnings from other broadcasters or commercial activities. It does not include many stars paid through independent production companies.
The list also does not distinguish between people with multiple jobs within the BBC and those with just one.
The figures also show disparities in pay for people working on the same show, including the judges on Strictly Come Dancing.
Head judge Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli are in the £200,000-£250,000 band, while Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell get between £150,000 and £200,000. Tess Daly, Winkleman’s Strictly Come Dancing co-host, was paid between £350,000 and £400,000.
The BBC is alone among the UK’s major broadcasters in releasing details of its on-air and on-screen talent.
Talent pay is considerably higher in the commercial sector. Overall, 25 men on the talent list receive more than £250,000, compared to just nine women.
