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A GROUP OF RTÉ journalists have said the broadcaster’s plan to cut the salaries of its highest earning presenters does not go far enough.
National Union of Journalist (NUJ) members working in RTÉ have called on management to slash the fees and salaries paid to top presenters and to managers.
A resolution, which described these presenters’ level of pay as “indefensible”, was overwhelmingly backed at a Dublin broadcasting branch on the RTÉ campus yesterday.
The branch said it believes that it is “now more than ever indefensible that RTÉ continues to pay exorbitant salaries of up to close to half a million euro to a small number of people in this organisation”.
“We understand the public anger at this and believe that that anger is justified.”
The group said the broadcaster’s current proposal to cut 15% off payments to its top contracted presenters “does not go far enough”. It called on RTÉ to immediately reduce salaries of top earners so that no one in the organisation earns more than the top civil service salary of €207,000.
There is a similar law in the Netherlands which stops anyone in the public or semi-public sector from earning more than €187,000 by pegging all top salaries to that of the country’s Prime Minister.
“We believe this would be an important first step towards addressing the valid concerns felt by the public who we serve,” the group said.
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Fair enough, 187k still seems very generous though.
@Pól Ó’hAodha: For a public body in a country this size, I agree. Let a private company pay whatever they like but when it comes to taxpayer’s money for a tiny television company in a tiny country, that’s ludicrous.
I love comparing Ireland to New Zealand as we are very similar in terms of population. TVNZ over there seems to have similar salary issues as RTE.
@Pól Ó’hAodha: people can give out about Leo and the rest all they like, but in fairness, trying to run a country seems a more difficult job than presenting a TV programme. No justifiable reason for the RTE ‘stars’ to be paid more.
@Pól Ó’hAodha: what’s incredibly ironic. Is that there is such a chronic lack of genuine talent in rte.. They all look more like folks putting on an impression as opposed to the real thing.. Its all so shallow and pretentious.. They badly miss gay Byrne.. Brian farrell.. A bit of chutzpa.. Only a 15%
Cut!..what planet do they live in..
@Peter99: why call talentless so called performers STARS!
The idea that the likes of D’Arcy should be getting anywhere near €207,000 a year is still laughable.
@Record Sunshine: The only person laughing is Ray D’Arcy.
@milton friedman: Tubridy is just smirking.
@Record Sunshine: I cant even.look at ray Darcy face!
@milton friedman: even he isn’t laughing because he’s a grumpy preeeck
@BewaretheBeardies: it’s no coincidence that RTE “stars” find themselves residing in Dalkey and even Howth. God forbid you might find one in Bray.
@Record Sunshine: most of these clowns wouldn’t get a job in the private sector.,they are qualified to do nothing.
€60,000 a year is ample for any employee of RTE, late late show presenter or not.
@Tom Bombdadil: 60K tops? Silly man…
@Tom Bombdadil: Most are on much more than that
@Tom Bombdadil: it’s what td’s should be getting anyway might focus their minds a bit
@ed w: totally agree with you.
@Vincent #SaveDaredevil: ya I know, I’m saying that nobody in RTE should be getting more, so they all need to be reduced to that.
Fair play to Ryan Tubridy, his salary went from a high of 700k+ to a now 420k a year. Thankfully he rejected all the job offers that came flooding in worldwide from Cnn and BBC to name a few for the good of his country.
@Alan Biddulph: that’s exactly what the bankers making a measly (capped) 500k a year in our state owned bank are also claiming, forgoing a chalet in the Swiss Alps or ten holidays a year for the good of the country *sniffs* we should all aspire to be like these fine countrymen…
@SJF: Bankers? That’s the weakest link to a totally different topic ever
@Alan Biddulph: you seriously are being funny.. The BBC have got rid of his summer stand in for Chris Evans.. You must be a buddie of his
@BewaretheBeardies: A lot of other people seemed to make the link but since you don’t seem capable of thinking in a lateral fashion…Bakers for AIB you see, were also in the news no so long ago complaining that their pay was being capped at 500K when execs at their level in other, larger, successful, non-bailed out banks (banks where despite their insinuations otherwise they wouldn’t have a hope of getting a job) were getting paid significantly more…you see the similarities? do you? Much like with RTE presenters they are also parasites being payed waay too much on the taxpayer dime…
It won’t matter one way or the other. I have an almost 8 year old who has never seen RTE. She doesn’t know what it is.
I stopped watching it entirely 20 years ago, as did my wife. Too depressing, too predictable. Not an original thought between them.
I still have to pay for it though.
@Perlum Sprite: seems a tad mean to force that on her. No big big movie on a Saturday night? No Toy Show?
@Darren Bates: She’s watching gremlins with me tonight on Netflix. She knows what children’s bbc is, but stopped watching it off her own back about a year ago.
She doesn’t know what Rte is, absolutely no idea an Irish tv station even exists. So how could she miss it, and what would she be missing exactly?
It’s pure tripe.
@Perlum Sprite: Programming like RTE’s The Den and other classic children’s programming came from a creative point of view and reflected important cultural teachings to young Irish children back in the day.
It is unfortunate to say that most of our media and children’s media is now largely derived from Americana. We should still try to strive for Irish inspired content such as Father Ted because it drives Irish pride/community and international recognition.
I’m not saying that RTE should have any part of this however, I believe they need to focus on providing Irish content that is not commercially driven; news, the arts, etc.
@Cynical: I’d go along with that.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy for the average worker at RTE who knows they’ll be chopped in preference of preserving the lifestyle of a select few millionaires who haven’t been considered relevant to Irish society in about 15 years.
RTE really feels like a kind of laundering operation these days with the way they cut everything but retain the high earners, as if it only exists to transfer wealth to a select handful of individuals and everything else is just part of the facade and disposable.
@Rochelle: they spent a million on jazzing up the news studio thinking it would improve the news program.. Whilst retaining the same presenters.. What was their logic!
@Victor Feldman: and continuing with the same old government led biased news stories
The high salaries were supposedly justified by the advert revenue that they brought in.
If the advert revenue was up to much, there wouldn’t be financial reviews required.
We all know that if that happened the ‘top’ earning presenters would just move to CNN, the BBC, ITV, CBS, Canal, Al Jazeera, Russia Today or any number of high paying competitors and what a loss Ryan, Ray, Marian, Joe, Miriam and Claire would be to our daily life here in Ireland. Irreplaceable as ‘Broadcasters’. It would be just impossible to replace them. ‘Broadcasting’ is such specialised work, years of training, rigorous exam pressures, huge responsibility, long hours, peer scrutiny and potential life threatening threat from any on the job errors or carelessness.
A Doctor’s salary would be generous compensation.
@Gerry Ryan deG: I was about to reply the spotted the sarcasm :)
@Gerry Ryan deG: are you a stand up comedian
Or an rte actor… Or maybe a PR person.. In the final analysis A presenter has to entertain his audience.. BORING his audience is the death. Knell of any performer.. And rte is riddled with it… Bring back the likes of brian farrell. Chop off all the possers..
@Victor Feldman: sarcasm anyone…anyone at all!
@Victor Feldman:
They are to get their possers chopped off?
There’s cut backs!
Union members vote to increase a proposed reduction in colleagues pay!!!!! The times they are a changin
@Tony Harris: Its great to see the NUJ turn on and starting to eat on it’s own. Hasn’t really be seen since the 70s.
They need to start with firing that knobend Tubridy!
Yes sack them and close rte might just be enough
The drivel dished out on a daily basis by Tubridy, Duffy and Darcy in particular could be had led by 24 year-old post grad .I’m sure a starter salary of 100,000 would allow him to buy enough”uppers to keep him sane, for a few years anyway.
there is a massive load of fat to trimfrom rte the TV licence I paid should cover it and I dont even watch any of their shows load of chancers
I noted that the DG gave an interview to the mail on Sunday were she was quoted as saying the salary for the job was too much when she got it. But now she has volunteered a cut…funny she doesnt appear to have raised to much of an objection when offered the package on day one and only now to show solidarity she is taking a reduction….as for the top 20 earners well RTÉ could have said no way when they got the job but were happy to pay the packages as it’s a combination of advertising,license fee and other revenues including those revenues they get from sky and virgin media for having their services on those platforms….but as is the case with print media the people willing to pay for substandard products are disappearing as the more tech savvy are going elsewhere for entertainment…..one only has to look at sky were you pay flat fee then if you want movies etc you pay extra.you get to view the product on your tablet or your phone for free as it’s part of the package…. make RTÉ pay per view and eliminate license fee and let’s see how popular a product they think it really is and how long before the high earners are out the door….
the cutback plan was just a feeble attempt to get the government to stump up more cash. the hope was that the gov would just throw money at them. amazingly so far they havent
Fire everybody at RTE … then bring in The Journal staff to sort out the programming. It will not only slash RTE costs, but make the channel much more interest. Then replace adverts with comments section breaks :-)
@WoodlandBard: I once read a piece of my writing on Sunday miscellany rte radio.. The producer told me to slow down as she said listeners at nine in the morning will not have woken up yet.. Ie be a bit boring.. Dull… Listless.
Here is a story how badly run RTE actually is
Some Rte presenter were too high salary need cut 50%
As I suspected, journalists at their core are lefties which is in complete contrast to the majority of the electorate who vote FG, FF, non left independents consistently..
@Lar Meyler: your theory doesn’t pan out.
A majority voted for marriage equality and a landslide majority voted to repeal the 8th in Ireland, both are seen as “lefty” issues.
So bang goes your theory.
While FF effectively opposed both the repeal the 8th and marriage equality, FG backed both. FG is certainly not as far leaning right as FF are.
FF’s motto might as well be “Keeping Ireland Catholic” for how non progressive they are and for the amount of deals they did previously to screw over the abuse victims and to protect the catholic church.
@Barry Somers: Get real. Pro Choice and Marriage equality are not Leftie exclusive policies. As a centrist, I am very pro both.
I have one question for you: When was the last time we had a left lead government in this country? Ireland does not vote left. Even union membership in the private sector has collapsed over the years. And then we have the recent collapse in the SF vote…
@Barry Somers: it was the same with the divorce referendum and the legalising of contraception back in the day: FF opposed them and it was FG led governments who pushed both through. And it was FF minister with Berties blessing who did that shocking deal with the church around the compensation payouts to their many victims.
@Barry Somers: It is also common these days to be Right of Centre and not religious. Get with the times!!!
Having to pay 160 euros to watch Tubridy, Darcy,
and Marty Wheelan, is a crime against humanity.
Just sack these 3 c##nts for starters and cut rest of staff salaries by 70 %. Until you do I will
Not ever but a tv licence.
PBS for news and current affairs only. Rest should be subscription. Scrap the DB pension scheme in full and state gravy train. If you’re good enough you’ll get the dollars, capped, like everyone else in the real world otherwise you are a Joe Soap. The days of Tubridy or Duffy or Finucane Media Enterprises Limited charging the lic fee payer €300K per year for a few hours a day pw on the wireless are gone. Push these gravy trainers out and get in some fresh blood.
@GrumpyAulFella: The PBS should be for one TV station, one Radio station and maintenance of the website/player. The rest should have to sing for their supper.
I think the public should have to vote for the tender of who gets the award of the licence which could be tied to the cycle of the local elections.
Shut it down
The scam is the top presenters are not civil servants..they are private companies who are contracted in to rte
@Darren Carroll: yes. Hired by Civil Servants. Not only should they dispense with the contractors, dispense with the Civil Servants who waste lic fee payers’ money on their (contractors) extortionate fees. The real crime here is the hirers, not the contractors. If someone wants to give me €300K pa for talking to a few aulwans from Clontarf then I’ll do it thanks very much. Who awards the contracts? An absolutely clueless outfit who have had the luxury, like the rest of the public sector, of riding on the crest of a public funded revenue wave. A bit of competition and suddenly it all goes south and they will cry union on it. Shower of wasters.
We should dispose of the parasites and exclusively enlist unpaid interns as presenters. The quality would remain as high and we’d save a fortune!
Ah yes, the pressure is now being piled onto the Big High Earners, they Big Boys , Tuberty, D’Arcy, Finnucane, O’Callaghan and many more. Slash their pay NOW, when I he mag is hot, get them back to reality.
I trust Revenue are investigating this arrangement, Contracted Presenters. It gives the impression that Presenters working for the organisation subcontract their services to RTE. Perhaps this new scheme like the building contractors is one way of paying more Tax into the state system or perhaps it could be construed in the opposite manner.
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