THE SALARIES of RTÉ’s top presenters are to be cut by more than 30 per cent from their peak in 2008, the organisation’s director general Noel Curran has said.
In an article in today's Irish Times, Mr Curran, who took up the position in February, says cutting the salaries of the station's top broadcasters is part of a process to make up a projected €34 million shortfall this year.
RTÉ is predicting a €17 million deficit this year after savings are made and does not expect to break even until 2013. This is because of a series of Government decisions that have seen more of the licence fee diverted away from the State broadcaster, Mr Curran claims.
The process will also involve a voluntary redundancy package and a slimmed down organisation, he says.
Although he does not mention numbers, RTÉ will look for at least 75 redundancies.
Mr Curran says an undertaking was given in 2009 to cut the fees paid to RTÉ’s top 10 presenters as their contracts come up for renewal and that process will be completed by 2013.
“RTÉ intends that by the time all of the existing contracts have been revisited, by end 2013, the payments total will have reduced by in excess of 30 per cent relative to the 2008 levels,” he said.
All of its top presenters took a voluntary cut of 10 per cent in 2009.
A cut of 30 per cent in Pat Kenny's 2008 salary would mean a drop from €950,976 to €665,683, although the presenter has already taken a significant pay cut since he left the Late Late Showin May 2009.
The next highest earner at the station in 2008 was the late Gerry Ryan (€629,865), followed by Marian Finucane. A 30 per cent cut in her income from the 2008 peak would result in a drop from €570,000 to €399,000.
Ryan Tubridy earned €533,333 in 2008, although he is likely to be the best-paid presenter now, as successor to Kenny on The Late Late Show. Liveline's Joe Duffy's was paid €408,889 in 2008. A 30 per cent cut would bring this to €286,222.
The other most highly-paid presenters at the station in 2008 were Eamon Dunphy (€328,051), Miriam O'Callaghan (€301,667), Derek Mooney (€286,809), George Hamilton (€219,833) and Seán O’Rourke (€218,656).
Although the savings from the planned pay cuts would be small in terms of the deficit faced by RTÉ, the issue of presenters’ salaries has generated much public and media comment.
Mr Curran has been meeting staff this week to talk about a three-year period of change that would “unquestionably” see a significantly slimmed down organisation operating on the “slimmest cost base”, he said.
He has had eight meetings with staff and is briefing staff in Cork and Limerick today. He has ruled out further pay cuts or compulsory redundancies for now, but said every aspect of the organisation would be examined.
