The Haves Keep On Having ...

Now with royal Add On.

You'll be pleased to know that Rupert, who by the nature of his position is an animation king-pin, continues to prosper:

... An SEC filing today showed that ... [News Corp.] CEO Rupert Murdoch made a whopping $33M for the 2011 fiscal year, including a $12.5M bonus, which amounts to a 47% raise. ...

But it's easy to see why he gets the nice boost, isn't it? When the company does well and the shareholders get showered with capital gains, they just naturally want to reward the bloke in charge, right?

Or not.

On the other hand, maybe it's because when you're the CEO of a large conglomerate, you have a pliable board anxious to continue the collect a nice salary and cater to your wants, and so will give you a nice bonus whether you add value to the outfit you're running or not. As a Rio animator told me recently:

"Nobody is paying more to animators and tech directors these days. Salaries have been flat for a long while. Hardware and software are cheaper, so overall costs for animated features are down. Everybody is working harder for the same -- or lower -- paychecks."

Well, not quite everybody. Some lucky duckies get a nice, double-digit pay boost. It's good to be king.

Add On: The Los Angeles Times dryly notes:

... In 2010, Murdoch collected $22.7 million. Each year he receives an $8.1-million base salary, an amount which has long raised the eyebrows of corporate governance experts because it is not linked to the company's financial performance. Murdoch also was paid $8.5 million in stock awards. ...

Let them eat stock options.