Paycuts for presenters, not politicians

SPANISH media group Atresmedia is slashing the salaries of star presenters on its flagship channels Antena 3 and La Sexta.

Advertising revenue has fallen during the Covid-19 lockdown and leading presenters Susana Griso, Arturo Valls and Jorge Fernandez have accepted wage cuts without problems.

On the contrary, they welcomed them as this has enabled the company to keep others in their jobs, said sources at Atresmedia, which has not presented ERTEs (temporary redundancies) and whose board of directors have reduced their salaries by 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, the online petition website change.org hopes to collect one million signatures, demanding an ERTE for Spain’s politicians.

A poll in online newspaper El Confidencial has also asked whether the country’s politicians should be paid during the coronavirus crisis.

Ninety per cent answered “No” while 8 per cent said they should still receive their pay but ought to forego expenses and travel allowances.