View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Publishers
  2. Broadcast Journalism
January 14, 2013updated 02 Apr 2013 5:04pm

‘Astonishment’ over BBC’s 147 PR staff

By William Turvill

Figures uncovered by Press Gazette revealing that the BBC employs nearly 150 PR staff have been greeted with astonishment.

The news comes after the Pollard Review into the corporation revealed how the BBC press office "enlisted the help" of PR firm Brunswick during the Jimmy Savile scandal, after it became “overwhelmed” by enquiries.

Miles Goslett, one of the first journalists to report that Newsnight had dropped its investigation into Savile, said the fact that a publicly-funded body with so many PR staff outsourced work was “outrageous”.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by Press Gazette has revealed that the BBC employs 147 people in its communications department.

Goslett said: “The question is, do they feel that among those 147 communications employees there are deficiencies, or do they think that they had to hire a private firm in this context because their own press office was somehow contaminated by the way it had dealt with the Savile issue?”

He highlighted a part of the review in which it was revealed that former head of communications James Hardy said he would “drip poison” about journalist Meirion Jones.

Goslett continued: “Is that really what we expect them to be saying about senior staff who were only doing their job, and were trying to get out a story that they’d spent a lot of time and public money investigating?

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“Is that really appropriate? I think it’s outrageous.”

Conservative MP Robert Halfon said it was “astonishing” that the BBC employed so many communications officers while cutting back on programming.

Halfon, who actively campaigns for the corporation to be more publicly accountable, said: “I think the public might choose more Formula 1 over 150 communications experts… The public must be allowed to decide how that money is spent every year.”

On the outsourcing of communications work during the Savile scandal, he added: “The Pollard Review has cost millions of pounds so it’s just unbelievable, given that they have all of these communications people, that they need to go to an outside PR company.”

UPDATE: 14/01/13. 4.15pm. 

The BBC has provided the following statement:

“Every week the BBC Communications division handles several thousand enquiries relating to its television, radio and online output at a regional, national, and international level.  The team promotes a wide range of programmes such as Panorama and Strictly Come Dancing in newspapers, magazines and broadcast media.  I

In addition there is a Corporate team that responds to a huge array of queries about the Corporation itself.  There is also an Internal Communications team for staff matters and the Public Affairs team that liaises with politicians nationwide.  The division is vital for keeping licence fee payers informed about the BBC’s content and how the organisation is being run.”

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network