Cost of BBC

I found myself agreeing with Ewan Crawford (Friends of The Scotsman, 16 July) that people deserve a more Scottish BBC Scotland and that “executives’ salaries and the astronomical fees for ‘talent’ should be cut and BBC’s website scaled back”.

A campaign by 29 BBC 
stars to defend the corporation’s funding has backfired after 
MPs compared them to bankers defending their obscene bonuses.

Some unkind souls might surmise that the “stars” were trying to defend their own lucrative pay packets, many well in excess of £1 million.

They now must regret their interference since the BBC’s annual report revealed a huge jump in pay for its presenters.

The annual report also showed that staff costs at the BBC have been spiralling despite repeated pledges from the directors to cut costs.

A new culling broom and a new set of directors is urgently needed.

Clark Cross

Springfield Road

Linlithgow