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Archers annual budget

• Message 1.Ìý

  Posted by abcdefg (U14604353) on Tuesday, 5th February 2013

  I asked this question a few days ago and the discussion got sidetracked by various apparently long-standing arguments.
  
  Forget the listener numbers just for a moment, can anybody [within the Ö÷²¥´óÐã?] point me towards some verifiable source that might indicate the annual cost/budget of the Archers? I have looked extensively on the web - everything seems to re-direct to wikipedia.
  
  Does the Ö÷²¥´óÐã actually publish any figures at all? I was aware that there was an issue recently with the "confidentiality of the salaries of the highest-paid stars" but does the corporation actually have any obligation to present/justify any or all of their spending? It is public money after all.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Dinah Shore (U14984316) on Tuesday, 5th February 2013

  This is a start (well, it's about 8 serches on)
  
  

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by abcdefg (U14604353) on Tuesday, 5th February 2013

  This is a start (well, it's about 8 serches on)
  
  Ìý Thanks, that is pretty much exactly the same kind of thing I came up with. There doesn't seem to be anything detailed, open or even interesting in terms of disclosure; the entire statement of accounts seems to be a method lesson in obfuscation. Oh well.
  
  Tayler? You're my last hope. A rough figure? I promise I won't tell anyone.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Seveek (U13636812) on Wednesday, 6th February 2013

  ‘Tayler? You're my last hope. A rough figure? I promise I won't tell anyone’.
  
  Tayler may find the answer you seek or she may not or may not be allowed to publish it.
  
  I gave the cost per episode on your previous thread but had to withdraw before I was able to respond to your polite request, ‘Where does this figure come from, please?’ That figure was based on verifiable information.
  
  I can supply the source, and other interesting information, but see that you specifically want someone from the Ö÷²¥´óÐã to reply and you may be lucky; let me know if you are not.
  

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by abcdefg (U14604353) on Wednesday, 6th February 2013

  ‘Tayler? You're my last hope. A rough figure? I promise I won't tell anyone’.
  
  Tayler may find the answer you seek or she may not or may not be allowed to publish it.
  
  I gave the cost per episode on your previous thread but had to withdraw before I was able to respond to your polite request, ‘Where does this figure come from, please?’ That figure was based on verifiable information.
  
  I can supply the source, and other interesting information, but see that you specifically want someone from the Ö÷²¥´óÐã to reply and you may be lucky; let me know if you are not.
  Ìý
  
  I'd happily receive the info as a private message if it's still available?
  
  [Personal details removed by Moderator]
  
  

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Tayler Cresswell - Host (U14232848) on Wednesday, 6th February 2013

  Hi abcdefg
  
  I believe details for the actors' rates have been published (these were discussed in the press around the time of Nigel's death) and The Society of Authors publishes writers' rates:
  
  
  The team say there's no published figure for each programme.
  
  Tayler

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Seveek (U13636812) on Wednesday, 6th February 2013

  As one suspected:
  
  ‘The team say there's no published figure for each programme’.
  
  Which, unfortunately, is not true and does not answer your question.
  
  Here are some figures for you:
  
  The cost per hour to the Ö÷²¥´óÐã (us) for The Archers in the last published reports was £14,969 per hour, £249 per minute and £3,742 per episode (2012) making a cost per year of £1,175,067. I have not bothered with a 13/15 calculation as I doubt they would.
  
  Although these figures are from 2009, they are unlikely to have changed significantly in light of the prevailing economy. In fact, actors’ salaries were £6K lower in 2012 than 2013.
  
  I have calculated the cost of actors’ salaries by taking the published rates and the number of appearances in the year as £551,715 per annum, £1,757 per episode.
  
  Similarly, the writers’ salaries are in the region of £283,071 per year for their writing efforts which we all agree is dam good value. I have not bothered with the writers’ attendance allowance for meetings as I deem that to be an insignificant amount of around £5-6K per year.
  
  This means that the total writers’ and actors’ salaries are in the region of £840K PA, £2.7K per episode.
  
  The remaining £335K per annum is the cost of studio and transmission.
  
  Now to the attribution. The following are my sources:
  
  Public Accounts Committee - Twenty-Fifth Report
  The efficiency of radio production at the Ö÷²¥´óÐã
  Report together with the Proceedings of the Committee. The published report was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 27 April 2009.
  
  
  The committee data came from The National Audit Office:
  
  
  It was also published in this newspaper which gives a good summary and other interesting information:
  
  
  The Equity agreement for 2012 (and still current, I believe) sets out the actors’ per episode fee and expenses:
  
  
  The Archers writers’ fees for 2013 are agreed by the Society of Authors:
  
  
  Please bear in mind that I have done this for interest and at the expense of my busy day job so will accept that there may be transposition errors but believe the above to be fairly accurate will be happy to answer any questions about the logic and my interpretation.
  
  My only proviso is that I will cease discussion if the normal suspect appears and begins one of his obtuse and invariably circular, incorrect and rude arguments of the sort which you observed on your last thread.
  
  Otherwise, I hope it helps in your quest.
  

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by abcdefg (U14604353) on Wednesday, 6th February 2013

  Fascinating stuff. Thank you very much. I shall now go away and do my sums!

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• Message 9

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by Organoleptic Icon (U11219171) on Thursday, 7th February 2013

  Thanks for that Seveek.
  
  Am I right in thinking that the £14,969 per hour you quote for TA is in fact the average for all R4 drama; not Archers specific?
  
  Though it is not evident to me that TA would be significantly more or less expensive.
  
  I do hope this "usual suspect" you quote does not turn up and frighten you off. I for one welcome your numeric efforts - and your openness to discussion of them.

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