BBC admits keeping charity money

BBC said:

The BBC is to broadcast an apology after admitting a subsidiary company kept £106,000 from premium-rate phone- ins that should have gone to charity.

A further £6,000 will be donated after viewers were accidentally told to ring in to vote in last year's UK Eurovision final when lines were closed.

The errors were discovered during an audit for the BBC Trust.

The money was being kept by call handler Audiocall, which is owned by commercial subsidiary BBC Worldwide.

The BBC said the sums that should have been paid to charity have now been repaid with interest, and that the sum represented only 1.3% of the funds raised for charity via premium-rate phone-ins.

Its director general, Mark Thompson, has been asked by the trust to consider disciplinary action against a small number of staff.

"We would like to apologise to viewers and to the charities for this serious error," the corporation said in a statement.

...continued

Click to expand...

remmy said:

Agree, no more boring singing competition shows or big brother

Click to expand...