National broadcaster RTÉ has released details of its 10 highest earners for 2022, with former Late Late host Ryan Tubridy coming in at first on the list.
The publication of its highest earning presenters will become an annual occurrence, following the Ryan Tubridy scandal last year, after it emerged RTÉ had paid Tubridy €345,000 more than it had declared from 2017 to 2022. The controversy widened further after more details were revealed regarding the broadcaster’s financial, accounting and governance practices.
The list published on Monday showed that the broadcaster’s star presenter earned €515,000 in 2022. Tubridy was followed by Liveline’s Joe Duffy in second place, who earned €351,000 in 2022. Claire Byrne, who has her own show on RTÉ Radio 1 and also hosts Claire Byrne Live was third highest earner, making €320,833.
She was followed by Prime Time host Miriam O’Callaghan, who earned €263,500. Ray D’Arcy, who hosts a 90-minute show on RTÉ Radio 1 five days a week was also in the top five, earning €250,000.
#Breaking RTÉ releases list of top ten on-air earners for 2022 with Ryan Tubridy, Joe Duffy and Claire Byrne among its highest paid https://t.co/z8p3Q0UbJy
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 29, 2024
The second half of the list featured radio presenter Brendan O’Connor, who received €245,004, in sixth place. Newsreader Bryan Dobson was also among the broadcaster’s top-paid presenters, earning €209,681, while Morning Ireland’s Mary Wilson received €197,643. Sports presenter Darragh Maloney made €184,501; while RTÉ’s environment correspondent George Lee was paid €179,821.
It follows an announcement of a new €250,000 salary cap in November, after the list of top earners for 2021 showed that a number of high-profile presenters earned beyond €250,000
In a statement, RTÉ deputy director-general Adrian Lynch said: “Today we are publishing the total earnings from RTÉ by our highest-paid presenters for 2022, along with the restated earnings for 2021.
“Our presenters play an important role in RTE’s provision of vital news, information and entertainment to audiences right across the country and enable us to generate commercial revenue which is essential to fund RTE’s public services.
“As previously confirmed by Kevin Bakhurst, going forward, details of RTÉ’s highest-paid presenters will be published annually as part of RTÉ’s annual report, starting with RTÉ’s 2023 annual report, which will be published later this year,” Mr Lynch said.
“While RTÉ has committed to reducing the cost of its highest-paid presenters to ensure that no contractors or employees will earn more than the director-general, our presenters play an important role in RTÉ’s provision of vital news, information and entertainment to audiences right across the country and enable us to generate commercial revenue which is essential to fund RTÉ’s public services.”
Following the RTÉ payments scandal, the prospect of introducing a cap on salaries at the broadcaster was proposed in the Dáil to address the “excessive remuneration” of high earners, with a Private Members Bill laying out the proposals.
In response, Minister Catherine Martin said that while she “understood the rationale” behind calls for a cap on remuneration, introducing a cap would be a”departure” from what is contained in the Broadcasting Act, adding that it would require “very careful consideration.”
In October, the Media Minister acknowledged that trust in the broadcaster had been “shattered.”
“As we all know, that trust was shattered and a priority for the RTÉ board and senior management is now to rebuild trust not only with the public but also, importantly, with their own staff,” she told the Dail.
“We have all been shocked and outraged at what has transpired since the end of June but, while we seek the full facts, we must also look to the future,” she told colleagues.
A private member’s Bill in the Seanad last year, meanwhile, proposed that the highest salary at the broadcaster would not exceed the among paid to Media Minister Catherine Martin, who is on €195,000 a year.
The cap would restore a sense of community culture within the broadcaster, Independent Senator Ronan Mullen claimed over the summer.
A strategic vision plan for the broadcaster, “A New Direction,” was announced last year. It followed the Government’s confirmation that RTE would receive interim funding worth €56m over the following two years. The €40m for this year will be dependent on reforms implemented at the broadcaster.
One reform states that no person will receive more than the Director General, who earns €250,000 a year.