Red faces at the ABC now that the salaries of it's star performers were leaked to the media. Most people consider the salary they earn to be a very private matter, but from today the public knows exactly what take home pay each of the public faces on their TV screens earn.
It also gives insight into the " pecking order " at the national broadcaster. The salaries quoted range from a low of about $ 187,000 to a high of $ 355,000, and that must be a matter of embarrassment to those on the lower end of the scale.
It also reveals that the " politically correct " ABC is guilty of paying it's male stars more than women, and that people in the entertainment industry fare badly when compared to the really high earners in our banks and great public companies. Despite that, stardom brings a salary far above the average $ 70,000 a year that is the average Australian annual earning.
Welcome to the world where charisma rules - and luck plays a big part - in getting noticed and attracting the ratings that determine your worth to the people who pay your salary. That is certainly a case of many offering - and few chosen. Hordes of behind the camera folk toil in the industry and most yearn for that lucky break which will put them before the cameras - and perhaps lead to a permanent slot as a news reader or a character in a feature programme.
The big players usually have a " manager " to look after their interests and negotiate salaries. What they have to sell is " fame " - and that can range across a wide spectrum. A person who attracts ratings in one form of media is of great interest to a competitor wishing to attract a wider audience - and thus improve profits by attracting more advertisers.
The employer who has a star under contract gets nervous about the time that contract is getting near renewal. " Poaching " is rife in the entertainment industry and a wise star makes sure that his or her availability is a matter of salary offered. In some cases, contract renewal boils down to little more than a bidding war.
Sadly, the public is fickle. Tastes change and we have seen former stars fade back into the cosmos as their talent no longer holds viewer attention. The clever ones " reinvent " themselves and many hold public attention in a variety of roles that correspond to both their age and changing demographics.
The stars of the ABC will just have to live with their salaries being public knowledge. There will be some serious navel gazing amongst competitors in commercial television. This has thrown down a yardstick from which many will be measured - and values recalculated. An interesting mix of clashing egos balancing against monetary rewards !
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