RTÉ told to slash excessive pay of top stars

RTÉ must cut the “excessive” pay of its top stars further and faster after the broadcaster posted an annual deficit of €65m, politicians have warned.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte expressed “concern” at RTÉ’s position. His Fianna Fáil counterpart, Michael Moynihan, accused the company of wasting public money and insisted the broadcaster had not done enough to cut the salaries of top names.

“Even in the boom time what they were paying top stars was completely out of sync with the real world, so percentage cuts on those levels still leave big names with excessive pay,” Mr Moyihan said.