RTÉ BROADCASTER CLAIRE Byrne has spoken out on the station’s payments scandal, saying that that she has never sought any “side deal” in her contracts with RTÉ.
Byrne said it was “heartbreaking” to hear members of the public speak about how their trust had been broken due to the controversy.
Beginning her morning radio programme by addressing the issue, Byrne outlined the details of her recent salaries with RTÉ in what she called an attempt to be “open and honest” on the topic.
“Just like everyone else, I’ve been grappling over the last few days with what has happened and the implications are that for all of us here in RTÉ, and for you, who rely on us and expect us to be completely transparent.
“I listened to Liveline on Friday, and I listened to the callers who spoke to Joe [Duffy] and I heard them talking about being disappointed about trust being broken and the importance of transparency,” she said.
“And for me, and for all the great people that I work with here every day on this show hearing that is nothing short of heartbreaking.
“Because I can tell you that as programme makers, our aim is always to be consistent, to be fair, to be professional, and to respect the hard-earned trust that you the audience has placed in us.”
She said her most recently published annual salary of €350,000 is “correct, as are those published in the past” and that her salary at present is €280,000 due to her stepping away from her Monday night television show.
“I’ve never sought, been offered or discussed any kind of commercial or side deal. No other payment exists or has ever existed beyond my published fee,” she said.
“Secondly, my most recent published fee was €350,000 and that was the fee agreed by RTÉ for me to present both this radio programme and Claire Byrne Live, and as you may know I decided not to continue with that television show for personal and for family reasons.
“And so in order to be fully transparent with you here today, I want you to know that my RTE fee now is 280,000 euro and that fee was agreed for presenting this programme.”
She said the most recent contract was negotiated by Noel Kelly, the agent whose firm NK Management handled Ryan Tubridy’s controversial contracts with RTÉ.
Byrne added that a quiz show she recently presented for RTÉ One on television quiz show – Ireland’s Smartest – saw her receive a separate fee of €25,000, which she said was also negotiated by NK Management.
“I acknowledged that fee is significant and it’s way beyond what many people could hope to and there are others who will no doubt have more to say about it, I’m sure but my personal decision here this morning is to be open and honest with you,” she said.
“Having said that, my decision to do this is not meant to set a precedent for others or to force anyone else to release their information. That’s a matter entirely for themselves. I felt that for me. It was the right thing to do this morning.”
Byrne said her absence from the programme last Thursday and Friday, as the scandal broke, was a “complete coincidence” as she had booked time away for a family break.
“I had no prior warning, no inkling that there was a problem on the horizon,” she said.
“I wasn’t even aware that presenter fees including my own were subjected to a Grant Thornton torn Thornton review. I knew absolutely nothing about it.”
The controversy arose after it was revealed on Thursday that RTÉ’s highest paid star Ryan Tubridy earned €345,000 more over the course of over six years than RTÉ had previously disclosed.
Tubridy’s annual earnings published by RTÉ between the years 2017-2022 ranged from €440,000-€491,667 but a review carried out by Grant Thornton found that his annual earnings from RTÉ in those years actually ranged from €511,667-€545,000.
The issue was partly the result of a deal which saw Tubridy receive additional income from commercial partner Renault, with that income guaranteed and underwritten by RTÉ.
The manner in which these payments were recorded led to an understatement of his earnings, with RTÉ apologising for the mistake. Tubridy himself apologised on Friday for ‘not questioning’ the published figures.
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