Channel 4 and Radio Times publisher Immediate Media are the best media companies to work for in the UK, according to ratings given by employees.
The broadcaster and consumer magazine publisher came joint top in a list compiled by jobs site Glassdoor, which relies on ratings from a company’s employees to rank it.
Both received a rating of 4.4 out of 5, with Channel 4 marginally ahead, closely followed by regional media publisher Archant at 4.3 and the Economist Group, owners of The Economist, with a rating of 4.2.
The BBC came sixth in the top ten list, followed by ITV in seventh, Trinity Mirror in eighth, the Financial Times in ninth and Guardian News and Media in tenth place.
Travel media firm Ink came fifth with a rating of 3.8 out of 5.
One of 24 Channel 4 employees to have reviewed the company on Glass Door said: “The people are great, the leadership have integrity and vision and the organisation has a clear purpose and remit, which everyone working here commits to.”
But, they added: “People love working here and rarely leave so promotional opportunities are few and far between.”
An Immediate Media employee, one of 24 to review the firm, said it was a “great friendly place to work with fantastic people”, but that there were “lots of satellite offices which can be problematic for communication”.
By contrast, 324 BBC employees had reviewed the corporation. One said: “The BBC is an institution. You get to work with some of the smartest, most passionate people in the industry.
“The BBC isn’t a job – it’s a cause. Pay and benefits are in line with the market and it has a very employee-centred ethos.”
A Guardian News and Media employee, one of 44 to review the publisher, said it was a “brilliant brand” and boasted “some of the best journalism in the world” as well as “some very talented staff”.
However, they added: “Poor management in the past five years has crippled the company financially.
“No accountability to the board led to reckless spending which has led to 20 per cent cuts and 280 redundancies. This could have been avoided.”
Top 10 UK news media companies by employee rating rounded to the nearest decimal point (source: Glassdoor):
| Ranking | Company | Glassdoor rating /5 | No. of reviews |
| 1 | Channel 4 | 4.4 | 24 |
| 2 | Immediate Media | 4.4 | 24 |
| 3 | Archant | 4.3 | 36 |
| 4 | Economist Group | 4.2 | 75 |
| 5 | Ink | 3.8 | 36 |
| 6 | BBC | 3.7 | 324 |
| 7 | ITV | 3.7 | 60 |
| 8 | Trinity Mirror | 3.7 | 62 |
| 9 | Financial Times | 3.6 | 62 |
| 10 | Guardian News & Media | 3.6 | 44 |
Picture: Reuters
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