'Unfair gloss': RTÉ's Bakhurst grilled over reclassification of Derek Mooney and pay implications

Derek Mooney. File Picture

RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst clashed with Morning Ireland presenter Sarah McInerney over the classification of Derek Mooney as a presenter or producer.

Mr Bakhurst accused Ms McInerney of putting “an unfair gloss” on questions surrounding RTÉ’s 2020 decision to reclassify the Mooney Goes Wild presenter as a producer.

RTÉ said it revised its list of top 10 highest-earning presenters for 2024 to include Mr Mooney after it “reconsidered what constitutes a presenter” for the purposes of the list.

Publishing its 2025 figures, RTÉ said that, in line with recommendations from the Government’s Expert Advisory Committee, it decided “to consider all personnel holding dual roles” for inclusion in its top 10 highest-earning presenters list.

Mr Mooney had been classified by the broadcaster as a producer rather than a presenter between 2020 and 2024.

The revision places him eighth on the updated 2024 list with earnings of just over €197,000, and seventh in 2025 with earnings exceeding €202,000.

That remains below his 2011 earnings, when he ranked seventh on the list with a salary of €220,063, ahead of Sean O'Rourke and Bryan Dobson.

In 2012 and 2013, Mr Mooney was classified as an employee before reappearing on the top 10 presenters list in 2014 in 10th place. He did not feature on the list from 2015 onwards.

It is understood Mr Mooney did not earn enough to qualify for inclusion between 2015 and 2019.

Questions over pay decisions

During Friday morning’s interview, Ms McInerney asked whether the classification change meant Mr Mooney avoided the 15% presenter pay cut imposed on top presenters at the time.

Summarising the issue for listeners, she said of the 2020 reclassification: "We're entering into 2020 and it looks like, and maybe you can correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like Derek Mooney is going to be in the top 10 presenters pay list in 2020.

"Suddenly a decision is made to reclassify him as producer. We're being told that's rational and legal, but we're not being told why the decision was made."

Mr Bakhurst attempted to interject before Ms McInerney continued: “Sorry, I will just keep going.”

She then asked: "As a result of being reclassified as producer, he doesn't get a 15% pay cut, is that right?"

Mr Bakhurst replied that this was “a very unfair gloss” to place on the issue, adding: “People are looking for unfair ways to present this.”

Ms McInerney then asked: "Okay, and just to be very clear, are you saying that that decision didn't affect either way, whether or not Derek Mooney got the 15% pay cut that would have been handed out to other presenters in the top 10."

Mr Bakhurst responded: "I can't say definitively, I wasn't there at the time, but I've seen no evidence to show that it did."

He said it was his understanding that the 2020 decision to reclassify Mr Mooney as a producer was made during discussions about who should be included in the list of RTÉ’s highest-paid presenters.

Mr Bakhurst also revealed RTÉ sought independent legal advice after questions about Mr Mooney’s classification “arose in the last few weeks”.

He said the advice concluded it was a “perfectly justifiable decision, given that Derek's contract is as an executive producer”.

However, he added: "We take a different view.

"We think transparency is really important, and most people know Derek as a presenter, and I think we'd expect him to be classified as presenter, even though, as I say, I think the majority of his work is as an executive producer."

Media Committee to examiner issue

Chair of the Oireachtas Media Committee Alan Kelly said he plans to raise Mr Mooney’s inclusion and exclusion from the highest-paid presenters list when RTÉ board members appear before the committee next week.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr Kelly said RTÉ needed to clarify why Mr Mooney was removed from the list in 2020, and why former presenters Claire Byrne and Ray D'Arcy continued to receive payments after leaving presenting roles.

He also questioned why concerns over Mr Mooney’s position on the list only emerged now, despite the prolonged controversy surrounding Ryan Tubridy’s salary in 2023.

Board chair on reclassification

Earlier on Friday, Morning Ireland replayed part of a debate from Thursday night’s Prime Time programme on the issue of Mr Mooney’s classification.

RTÉ board chair Terence O'Rourke was asked why Mr Mooney had been reclassified as a presenter and included on the latest list.

He said: "Derek has done many roles in RTÉ over the years. He's been TV presenter or radio presenter and he's had different contracts.

"In 2020 his contract was as a producer, that was the contract he entered into, and it was agreed with him in 2020."

He added: "The issue is, we looked at where he is now and he's definitely presenting now.

"So we wanted to get the method right, and he's in the list this year."

Asked what constitutes a presenter, Mr O'Rourke replied: "Different people made different judgments at the time.

"Obviously, if somebody does like 90% presentation, and 10% production, or somebody else does 90% production, 10% presentation - different people can take different views as whether that should be listed.

"Somebody else made a different judgment at the different that time. We made a judgment this year that (he) should be in."

Asked who decided that Mr Mooney — “a man who's on radio and television on a regular basis” — should be classified as a producer rather than a presenter, Mr O'Rourke replied: “Management at the time made that decision.”

RTÉ's Director-General, Kevin Bakhurst, and Chairperson of RTÉ Terence O'Rourke. File Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

When University College Cork (UCC) awarded Mr Mooney an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Science in October 2022 in recognition of his contribution to natural history broadcasting, he was described as a “journalist, producer, and presenter”.

The citation acknowledged his broadcasting career spanning five decades and his work on environmental programming, including Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio 1.

UCC president Professor John O'Halloran said: “Derek Mooney is the voice of nature and wildlife in Ireland.

“He has been a powerful voice for wildlife and wildlife researchers and citizen scientists who contribute to data collection on our birds, butterflies, bees and plants across the nation and has inspired generations of wildlife biologists.

“His impact extends beyond Ireland to Europe and North Africa as part of his extraordinary Dawn Chorus Marathon – involving citizens, scientists, multiple broadcasting teams and managing to do this live in the wild.”

Tribute was also paid to his role as “RTÉ’s Executive Producer for Nature Programming”.

Former presenters among top earners

The broadcaster has confirmed that Claire Byrne, since departed to Newstalk, was RTÉ's top earner last year with €280,000 through Derrough Media.

Meanwhile, former RTÉ presenters Claire Byrne and Ray D'Arcy were among the broadcaster’s top 10 earners in 2025.

Ms Byrne, who has since moved to Newstalk, was RTÉ’s top earner last year with €280,000 through Derrough Media.

The second-highest earner was Patrick Kielty, whose future as host of The Late Late Show was the subject of speculation in recent weeks. He earned €266,323 through Pamanco Ireland.

Miriam O'Callaghan, through Baby Blue Productions, received €244,797; Brendan O'Connor earned €239,998 through BOC Communications; and Mr D'Arcy received €219,992 through Whatnext Productions.

RTÉ classified all of the top five earners as contractors.

The remaining names on the list were classified as employees.

David McCullagh received €206,393; Mr Mooney earned €202,264; Darragh Moloney received €197,840; George Lee earned €194,406; and Dáithí Ó Sé, who is classified as both an employee and contractor, received €192,809.