Consultants hired to vet Judy Bailey's pay

A team of consultants has been commissioned at the cost of thousands of dollars to decide how much newsreader Judy Bailey should be paid.

Eager to avoid a repeat of last year's allegations of gross misjudgment when it approved the doubling of 6pm news presenter Bailey's salary to $800,000 a year, the TVNZ board commissioned a team of international consultants to find out what a top newsreader is worth in the current climate.

The issue of what presenters are worth is a hot topic worldwide, with BBC newsreaders currently defending accusations they are paid too much for reading an autocue.

Total Media director Martin Gillman said a newsreader's pay came down to ratings and "how good a negotiator their agent is".

A senior source within TVNZ said giving Bailey a $400,000 rise last year avoided the risk of losing more than $20 million of revenue.

TVNZ research has shown it would take less than one and a half hours of commercial revenue to pay Bailey's $800,000 salary.

Gillman said TV3's 6pm news bulletin had been slowly eating into TV One's audience share, and changes in presenters had a part to play in that.

Sources say Bailey is not in the box seat when it comes to negotiations over her new contract - her one-year deal is up in November. Yet to progress to board level, it is understood she will be offered less pay but a multi-year term, which has the benefit of job security.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY