Reduced management

Controller Radio 4 Gwyneth Williams surfaces in conversation with the New Statesman, and wears a hair shirt.

 “I’ve taken a few million quid out of Radio 4 over the last few years, as carefully as I can, obviously protecting audiences at the front line. We’ve reduced management here – we’re very small. It’s me, it’s the scheduler, it’s Laura [from the press office], and a couple of commissioning editors – 2.8, precisely, commissioning editors.”

Across the wider network radio family, there are 24 senior managers, paid an average of £132k p.a. I think Gwyneth will recognise that one or two of them only really serve Radio 4. Outside "Radio", one or two other senior managers work in News, producing 2,500 hours a year for the network. Others supervise 600 hours of Drama, 200 hours of religious programming, etc. It's why the network costs close to £90m a year.