Former RTE producer questions high salaries in State broadcaster

Questions are being raised about the amount of money paid to some of RTÉ's biggest stars.

It has emerged that Ryan Tubridy was the State broadcaster's highest paid presenter in 2011, with total earnings of €723,000.

Pat Kenny came next on €630,000, followed by Marian Finucane on €492,000, Joe Duffy on €378,000 and Miriam O'Callaghan on €307,000.

However, most of the fees have been reduced since then.

Kate Shanahan, a lecturer in Media at DIT and a former RTE producer, said the amount of money spent on fees using State money raises difficult questions for the broadcaster.

Ms Shanahan said: "If you are sitting as a current affairs presenter and you are quizzing the head of a semi-state body with a grossly inflated salary across the public service, and those would be the ones we would be concerned about because of the money coming out of the public purse for them.

"They were wrong, they shouldn't have been there in the first place, but one of the things people will be saying is 'How can you ask them hard questions if you too are earning the kind of money that is causing people's eyes to water this morning."