Nobody worth €500k a year, says Finucane

MARIAN FINUCANE, who only broadcasts four hours a week, does not believe anybody is worth her salary of over €500,000.

The presenter did not seek to defend her salary when talking to freelance journalist, Sue Leonard, about her new book on 12 of her Saturday radio interviews.

The Marian Finucane Show on RTÉ Radio 1 is the highest-rating weekend radio show in Ireland and Finucane was one of the top four, best-paid presenters in 2009.

Finucane earned fees of €513,270 in 2009, down 10% from €570,000 the previous year.

The issue of RTÉ presenters’ salaries has been controversial for the national broadcaster.

Finucane was asked if she was upset about details of her salary being in the public arena.

She replied that she was not perturbed at all and that it was perfectly understandable that people wanted to know what she earned.

“I can well understand it,” she said.

Asked if she was worth it, Finucane replied: “I don’t think anybody is worth it nowadays.”

She then agreed with the interviewer that her job was more a seven-day week one, rather than spanning two days.

“Oh, very much so,” said Finucane.

RTÉ director general Noel Curran admitted recently that its top earners would all have to take a 30% pay cut by 2013 as their contracts come up for renewal.

Liveline presenter Joe Duffy, who earned €389,314 in 2009, down from €408,889 in 2008, has stated that he has already taken the 30% cut.

Pat Kenny remains RTÉ’s top paid presenter, earning €729,604 in 2009,down €221,372, or 23%, on 2008.

The decrease coincided with Kenny’s decision to give up the broadcaster’s flagship Late Late Show in 2009.

This week Kenny defended his position as the highest paid star on RTÉ, insisting that he now worked harder than he ever had before.

“People see what I do. My work is all in the public domain,” said the 61-year-old, who has accepted that, regardless of any negotiations, his and other presenters’ fees would inevitably drop further.

Miriam O’Callaghan, whose fee went from €301,667 in 2008 to €290,625 in 2009, a decrease of almost 4%, said she was not going to be overly concerned about pay.

“I took a cut before and I am happy to take whatever the director general says is fair,” the broadcaster and mother-of-eight said.