The BBC may have taken a whopping 455 staff to cover the Rio Olympics but it appears that it is a case that not all services were created equal when it comes to allocating budgets.
Dawn Airey, the chief executive of official Olympic picture agency Getty Images, couldn’t help but chuckle at the radio “studio” she found herself in for an interview with the BBC World Service in Rio. Airey, the former senior Sky, ITV, Channel 5 and Yahoo executive, described the set-up as the equivalent of “climbing into a closet”.
“It was like someone’s wardrobe with padded foam for sound insulation,” she said. “If this is what is to come with the BBC’s cost savings…”
Just don’t mention that Airey, who has previously suggested the Beeb could look to charge for some of its services, was part of the high-powered advisory panel bought in by ex-culture secretary John Whittingdale to advise on the government’s review of the BBC ahead of charter renewal.
