Bargain Hunt ?

Jay Hunt's move to C4 has a range of motivating factors.

Money could be one. Her last published salary package at the BBC (August 2009) was £265k a year - it ought to be the same this year, if the Thommo freeze is working. At C4, the salary is believed to be £395k, with, presumably, bonuses on top and a possibility of rises. 

At the BBC, pension pots look vulnerable.  One big dent in a comfortable BBC pension comes from the dreaded "broken service".  Jay spent months at Channel 5.   

At C4, she'll effectively be No 2 in the organisation. At the BBC, Jana Bennett, Jay's boss, represents television on the 14-strong Executive Board - and she's not No 2.

At C4, she'll have a budget of around £550m pa to work with.   The budget for BBC1 is around £1,113m - which will have to face 5% "efficiencies" every year until at least a new licence settlement, and probably way beyond. 

At the BBC, The Daily Mail, in particular, seemed to be "after" Jay.  They made a fuss about husband Ian Blandford's tv training company, Brightspark TV (whose published clients all worked for the BBC - Matthew Pinsent, Alex Lovell and Mihir Bose) and Jay had to step down as company secretary.  Then they found that ex-husband Gary Rogers was working as a media consultant for the World Service and tried, unsuccessfully, to beat that up. They blamed her for the dumping of Arlene Phillips as a Strictly Come Dancing judge. They riled at her expenses (Molton Brown fragrances, cashmere socks, silver bangles, all claimed as gifts for presenters or suppliers).   Then they let loose attack dog Quentin Letts (who we can only presume has some previous past bad experience with Jay) in a coruscating piece headlined "Lean-lipped, humourless, the killer kitten who is steering Auntie on to the rocks". Jana Bennett and others came out with "leave her alone, she's brilliant" pieces, but there is, however, no reason to believe the Mail will leave her alone at C4.

(The age issue hasn't gone away either: Miriam O'Reilly is still pursuing an industrial tribunal case after Jay "refreshed" the Countryfile presenting and reporting team for the move to Sunday nights.  I'm sure she'll try to call Jay as a witness).

Ambition is undoubtedly a key driver in Jay's career.  At 43, she's just two years younger than Mark Thompson was when he moved to C4.  I'm guessing the DG's job will be vacant not long after the Olympics.

But will the legacy of two years at the helm of BBC 1 stand up ?    The balanced sheet is mixed; on the plus side, probably, Torchwood, nurturing Dr Who, The Street, Sherlock, Occupation - yet we also have Anne Robinson back at Watchdog, Total Wipeout, the free Lloyd Webber audition shows, and the "makeover" of The One Show to consider. You make your mind up...