Media Brief

I'm the BBC's media correspondent and this is my brief selection of what's going on.

The BBC still has up to 135 executives paid more than Prime Minister David Cameron, according to the Guardian, despite cutting its senior management wage bill by nearly £10.66m. But it says the BBC's top executives "slashed their expenses bills" by 35% year on year in the three months to September, according to the latest figures released by the Corporation.

However, the Daily Mail says expenses for BBC executives are "running rampant" despite pledges to cut them back. It says latest figures reveal a 7% year-on-year hike in wining and dining.

The Guardian says the culture secretary has agreed that MPs on the Culture Media & Sport committee should interview the government's preferred candidate for the chairmanship of the BBC Trust before they are confirmed in the job. The shadow culture secretary, Ivan Lewis, tells the paper he was delighted Jeremy Hunt had agreed to his proposal but disappointed the MPs would not be able to consider the final two candidates.

Google co-founder Larry Page is to become chief executive of the US internet search giant in April. He will take over from Eric Schmidt, who has been in the job for a decade and will become executive chairman. https://bbc.kongjiang.org/www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12246870
Amazon has bought the film rental business Lovefilm. The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones says Lovefilm is one of the most impressive new media businesses to have come out of the UK and asks if this is a good or bad day for the UK tech scene.

There is considerable speculation about the reasons for Alan Johnson's sudden departure as shadow chancellor. He said he resigned for "personal reasons" and the papers have differing claims about his private life and various reports of marital problems. The BBC's newspaper review links to the main stories.

Links in full

• Guardian | BBC still pays up to 135 execs more than PM
• Daily Mail | BBC bosses are claiming even MORE expenses: Despite head count, hospitality is up
• Guardian | MPs to interview candidate for role of BBC Trust chair
• BBC | Larry Page to become Google chief executiveBBC | Amazon buys remaining stake in Lovefilm DVD service
• BBC | Newspaper review

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