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RTÉ PRESENTERS RYAN Tubridy, Joe Duffy and Ray D’Arcy could all be in line for significant pay-cuts after the broadcaster announced widespread cuts at the company.
Last night, a lengthy statement detailing the extent of the cuts was sent to newsrooms across the country, after the news was leaked to the Irish Times.
The national broadcaster revealed details of the plan yesterday evening which will see 200 jobs cut next year as part of a major restructuring plan that will seek to reduce costs by €60 million over three years.
The plans will also see the pay of its top contracted on-air presenters cut by 15%.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes said many of the contracts for the broadcaster’s top earners were “put in place when RTÉ was in a very different place.
“The organisation is in a very, very challenging place right now and we simply cannot afford to pay people what we have been paying them,” said Forbes.
Forbes said that RTÉ’s top contracted presenters earn €3 million between them and that 15% – €450,000 – will be cut off that total figure.
Those facing potential salary cuts at RTÉ include Late Late Show host Tubridy, the highest earning presenter at the company, who earned €495,000 in 2016.
The broadcaster’s other top presenters include Ray D’Arcy, who earned €450,000 in 2016 and Liveline presenter Joe Duffy – also a contractor – who was the third highest earner in 2016, taking in €389,988.
Marian Finucane made €300,617 through her company Montrose Services in 2016.
Miriam O’Callaghan, who earned €299,000 in 2016 through her company Baby Blue Productions, is also among RTÉ’s top earners alongside sports broadcaster George Hamilton and presenter Claire Byrne, who earned €186,195 and €216,000 in 2016 respectively.
It’s not yet clear which of RTÉ’s top-earners will face pay-cuts and to what extent their salaries will be reduced. Forbes said this morning that RTÉ still needs to work out details of the plan.
RTÉ said the 15% reduction is in addition to cuts of “over 30% agreed in previous years”.
‘Cuts’
Under cut-back plans, Lyric FM is to be retained but its production moved from Limerick to Cork and Dublin.
The broadcaster confirmed in a statement last night that it will close its Digital Audio Broadcast network as well as RTÉ’s digital radio stations, including RTÉ Gold and stations like 2XM and RTÉ Pulse.
RTÉ executives are to take a 10% reduction in pay and the board of RTÉ will “waive its fees”.
As well as a reduction in staff numbers of about 200 next year, other staff-related savings are to be found.
Forbes addressed the situation on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning, speaking to presenter Brian Dobson.
Dobson asked why a statement regarding the cuts, which was ready to be published, was held back.
Forbes said the plan was ready to go, however it was put on hold due to the death of Gay Byrne.
The full statement was released by RTÉ last night after the Irish Times broke the story.
“Our priority, of course, in any situation is to inform our staff first,” Forbes explained.
“We were ready to go with this plan, but unfortunately this week we had very sad news when … Gay Byrne passed away,” she said.
So, we decided not to go public this week, and we were pushing to next week.
“Unfortunately, the information leaked, and last night the Irish times went with the story,” she said.
Forbes said her priority was to “get to staff” as quickly as possible and not to have a gap in information.
RTÉ management are due to meet with staff and union representatives later today.
RTÉ has said it will work to reduce staff costs by consulting with staff and unions “on a number of initiatives, to include pay freeze, tiered pay reductions, review of benefits, work practice reforms”.
In a statement last night, RTÉ said that licence fee evasion rates in Ireland are among the highest in Europe and is “costing jobs”.
The station says that between people who evade their TV licence fee and those who just watch RTÉ programming on the RTÉ player, “over €50 million is lost to public broadcasting every year”.
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When I read it was an ‘ambitious’ trip, I knew the deals were already done and the they would hail this as a victory of sorts. Lets be honest, Enda didn’t go out there and crack any deals. They were set up and he turned up. He also ducked any serious questions about human rights issues but he got us 25 mill in contracts so that’s all that matters right?……
Take what you can, name a country without human rights issues.
€25 million in contracts isn’t spectacular either, the Arabs would wipe their arse with 25 mill, lets be honest!
With respect I disagree, Blue. 25 mill is a needle in a haystack to our debts.
Our government should give tax brakes to our own small and medium business and this would create jobs and make us more competitive , Kenny should take a look around ireland a see the hardship on this sector thousands of jobs lost here taxed out of business wake up Kenny .
Exactly Adebayo these people are always in contact with us. My bro has been multiple trips to dubai and Kazakhstan for years and he can tell me at any moment in time what exactly is going to happen in construction and industry in the middle east ,dont be fooled folks, this is PR at its finest.
Are you saying they shouldn’t of bothered then.?
Bhutan is a country without human rights issues.
When a country prosecutes women and beheads them in public for witchcraft. It proves they are 500 years behind civilisation. I’ve no respect for anyone who believes in sorcery,the Saudi regime have no credibility.
To put that feeble 25 million in perspective, the Saudi regime has given 25million away, in one day, to fund the FSA and their jihad in Syria.
@Terry
Yeh, pretty much. I’m not proud of the fact that we are dealing with these people. All the huff and puff about a trade mission that brings in what exactly? 25 mill is nothing. I’m sorry I’m just so numbed to anything less than a few Bill these days.
€25 Million is something, but this is pocket change for the Arabs, you also have to evaluate the costs involved in this trip, take the contracts and subtract the trip cost and you will get the mediocre result
Considering David Cameron came home from Dubai with £15bn worth of contracts for the British Aerospace industry just a couple of weeks ago I’d say €25m is a pathetic haul, €25m is more like the cost of an annual Arab family ski holiday to St.Moritz.
And after the cost of the flights and the five star hotels plus when the CEO of rehab takes her cut there will be fcuk all left.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Saudi regime, gave more business to Ireland through the horse racing industry alone, that’s not to mention how much they spend on Paddy Powers.
Saudi princes stroll into casinos with 25 million dollars and could easily lose it in 20 minutes.
The Qatari prince bought a one year old filly in October for 8 million dollars.
25 million is absolute buttons to these guys.
Enda Kenny should be ashamed of himself, Ireland pays out over 80 million euros a week on unemployed benefit .
Close to €25 million to send a few delegates to the Middle East for a few days? What have you been smoking?
Well seeing as Rehab has obtained a contract worth €2.3 million maybe the Irish government might withdraw a sizeable portion of its contribution to this so called charity. They certainly don’t need charity from the irish. Angela Kerins must be well pleased. Another bonus there please thanks
Just imagine how big these contracts could have been if we’d sent a few intelligent people over!
We probably offered them 100 mill worth of services and they paying us 25 mill,,,,,,,,,,,,,, yippee we got a deal
€25 million in contracts?, that could have been phoned in, not even worth the trip.
Human rights?Enda Kennys not even fully human ..He is the same there as he is ere…..
No backbone and no b&lls…
The jones engineering deal was done yonks ago , they’ve been advertising for mech and elec qs’s for the Middle East for ages ! More PR sh1te , would have thought the journal would have researched that a bit instead of printing what they were told .
Enda Kenny — beggar in chief.
Well, at least we know what our price is now, it’s €25 million. For that we’ll happily ignore everything that goes on in that cesspool of religious fanaticism known as Saudi Arabia.
Not bad for three days work
€25,000,000 minus the cost of the trip = 0
I look after a Company here in the Gulf and I treat my employees better than I was in treated in Quinnsworth.The average expat such as Irish/Indians/Pakistani’s/Bangledeshi’s are paid 3 times their salary in their home. Human Rights….?
Money in the bank. Job well done, Enda. He’s pretty good at this part of being Taoiseach. It’s the rest that occasionally worries me…
They kicked us out of the country and we got no contacts but we did tell them we didn’t like their track record in human rights. Some people!
Enda Kenny has been the saviour of many a country in the world ..Why was this super human and his super powers not used before now? Please get him out safely…
Get him a superman cape …… Then take him to very high building and see if he can fly
I believe that this man can fly to greater heights and make us a country that will never have to borrow ever again ..He is Superman
What is that fully grown man wearing
Dark grey suit.
Did they go for Powers or Bushmills ?
The Powers’ bottles are much stronger than Jameson’s equivalent. Under rape victim face tests the clear glass was found to result in significantly more lacerations with deep tissue damage. The Religious Police are looking forward to taking delivery of their first shipment soon.
Amazing how quickly you can put multi million dollar contracts together .that enda is some man.
Are ya sure that Charlie haughey has not rose from the dead,,,,,,, this sounded like one of his deals
I am reminded of the time when some wealthy person asked a movie star if she would sleep with him for a million dollars and she said yes.Then he asked her if she would do it for a thousand dollars and she got mad and asked him he he thought she was a hooker. His reply was ” We have already established that, now we are haggling over the price ” Enda has already agreed a price with Angela.
Legal system from the middle ages out there and women can’t even hold a driving licence. Except they have oil cash. That’s all that counts it seems… Good man Inda
Resounding success, thanks Enda :)
How much will the State see out of €25mill worth of contracts awarded to private companies?
I think its navy Mitch
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