just a bail-out. And can C4 really justify such a rich bonus system against such a frail economic background? Is the chief executive really worth 1.2m when you have a black hole of 150m and climbing?? Can you please explain why it is necessary or desirable to have competition in public service broadcasting? I think most people would agree that competition is desirable in any market. A monopoly supplier loses the incentive to change and innovate. All the good things about the UK TV market have resulted from historical competition between the state funded BBC and the commercial PSBs - ITV, C4 and Five - and, in some instances, the market (where would TV sports coverage be without Sky's innovations?). In moments of honesty, senior BBC executives will admit this. When he was CEO of Channel 4, Mark Thompson said: ...the right kind of competition promotes quality, innovation and choice for audiences. Indeed we think one of the strongest arguments for maintaining Channel 4 as a vibrant public service broadcaster is to guarantee effective competition for the BBC in PSB provision. Jana Bennett said something very similar in a profile in Broadcast earlier this year. If you say that's what the research says, I'll believe you but can you please be specific as where this research can be found. The feeling is mutual. I know that the commissioning team at Channel 4 regularly discuss the BBC's output at Programme Review. The things that they do which we envy inspire us