RTÉ top earners revealed

After BBC released their top earner results at the end of July, RTÉ came under a bit of a scrutiny by Irish citizens curious as to where the €2,665,364 (2014) budget was going. After public pressure, RTÉ has published the 2015 figures of their top ten highest paid broadcasters.

Three women make the list — progress from the two on the list the year prior — but the highest-paid woman, Miriam O’Callaghan, still makes €196,000 less than the highest-paid man, Ryan Tubridy who is raking in €495,000 a year.

The Late Late Show and Radio One host’s salary is the same amount he was paid in 2014, although the total amount that RTÉ pays its presenters has been paired down 40% from the exorbitant 2008 figures. For comparison, the highest earning contractor in 2008, Pat Kenny, was making €950,967 per year. Yikes.

RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes stated, “It is crucial to understand that in terms of the top earners released today, many factors influence presenter fees, including variations in programme commitments, broadcast hours, and audience numbers.”

The broadcasting company is supposedly conducting a review of pay and gender equality.

The complete top-ten RTÉ earner list follows:

1. Ryan Tubridy €495,000
2. Ray D'Arcy €400,000
3. Joe Duffy €389,988
4. Miriam O'Callaghan €299,000
5. Marian Finucane €295,000
6. Sean O'Rourke €290,113
7. Claire Byrne €201,500
8. Nicky Byrne €200,583
9. Bryan Dobson €195,913
10. Darragh Moloney €188,803