It does seem a bit stupid for media regulator OfCom to fine the BBC £150,000, however terrible the whole Sachsgate routine may have been, given that we the licence-fee payer end up paying for it. It's a bit like anti-capitalism protesters smashing up a branch of the Royal Bank Of Scotland, a bank whose biggest shareholder is now the British tax payer.
That, of course, is why a number of people - most notably Communities Secretary Hazel Blears - responded to the news that OfCom had indeed fined the Beeb that figure over the Sachsgate debacle by suggesting that Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand be forced to pay the fine personally.
But OfCom have said that the laws which enable it to fine the Beeb over serious code breaches only allow it to fine the Corporation itself and not any BBC personnel or third party producers directly. The spokesman said: "Parliament decided for very serious breaches of our broadcasting rules the BBC would be subject to a maximum fine of £250,000. These powers only allow for fines to be levied against the BBC and not individuals, to do so would require a change in the law".
I'm not sure whether that stops the BBC forcing its personnel to pay its fines out of their pay packets, but as that's never going to happen I don't suppose there's any point pondering the point. If I was multi-millionaire Ross I'd take a £150K pay cut, just for the good PR it would deliver.