Level of pay for RTÉ’s stars criticised

RTÉ’s so-called stars may no longer shine as brightly in the public eye, but at least the salaries they earn are still blinding.

New figures revealed by the national broadcaster have shown that between 2007 and 2008 the station’s top 10 earning presenters received more than €4.5 million in licence-fee funded salaries.

The massive sum, which comes at a time when the broadcaster is facing a shortfall of €68m this year, includes €1.87m paid to Pat Kenny, €1.3m to Gerry Ryan, and €1.04m to Marian Finucane, who have each become millionaires during the two year period.

A further €786,537 was paid to Joe Duffy for his work on Liveline, while another €900,200 was handed over to Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy during the same period.

The level of expense has been heavily criticised since it was confirmed yesterday afternoon.

However, despite the extravagant figures, Cathal Goan, director general of RTÉ, has defended the payouts, claiming that while they might seem excessive they were negotiated during “a different time and a different reality” of finances in Ireland.

“There’s no question by today’s standards they were excessive, but I have to remind you that the contracts were set at a different time and a different reality.

“In RTÉ’s view at the time they delivered value for money,” he said, adding that all of the top earners agreed to take a pay cut of approximately 11.5% earlier this year.

In a statement confirming the figures, a spokesperson for RTÉ said that the station had released the publicly funded salary levels on “a voluntary basis” and was “not statutorily required” to do so.

Reacting to the figures, Fine Gael communications spokesperson Simon Coveney said the level of income received by some of the most high-profile personalities at the station was hypocritical and like “rubbing salt in the wound” to the average person in Ireland.

“While I recognise that RTÉ staff have agreed to pay cuts, it is difficult to justify a wage bill for €4.5m for 2008 for their top 10 earners.

“What is totally unacceptable is that RTÉ are dealing with people on a long-term contract basis and so are tied in to very large pay deals to broadcasters who are not employees of RTÉ but who are contracting their services to an independent company.

“These companies have negotiated wage deals in times of plenty that RTÉ are still required to pay as advertising revenues plummet.

“For RTÉ management to be relying on voluntary pay cuts is an absolute nonsense when it’s the public’s money at stake,” he said.

His opposition colleague, Labour communications spokesperson Liz McManus, added that “in these straitened times” RTÉ needed “to get real about high earnings”.

“Public servants at very senior level, Government ministers and media personalities, cannot be paid out of the public purse at such a high level while other people are struggling keep their homes and their jobs.

“The salary levels themselves would appear to be extravagant. With personalities like Pat Kenny earning almost a million euro in 2008, up €28,000 since 2007, there is no escaping the conclusion that RTÉ is overpaying some of its people,” she said.