Late Show: RTÉ finally releases salaries of ‘star’ management as £8.1m deficit revealed

TV licence fee revenues fell by €17.3m last year compared with 2022 as many households refused to pay the licence fee following the Ryan Tubridy payment controversy. The loss was largely offset by the government providing RTÉ with interim funding of around €15m.

Commercial revenues also fell slightly: the station earned €150.7 million last year, down almost 1% from €152.1 million the year before.

At the same time, operating costs increased by €9.3 million following the entry into force of a pay agreement with the union group. RTÉ also had to set aside additional funds due to the ongoing investigation by the Department of Social Protection into the employment status of some contract workers.

The annual report also confirms who the station’s top earners were in 2023. In terms of on-air presenters, the highest paid was Liveline presenter Joe Duffy, on €351,000. He was followed by Claire Byrne on €280,000 and Miriam O’Callaghan on €263,500.

Tubridy, who left the station in the fall of 2023 following the controversy over his salary, earned €245,278 before leaving, ranking him fifth among presenters.

However, and as recently revealed by the The Irish IndependentSome of RTÉ’s highest paid employees are never seen on air. Adrian Lynch, the deputy director general, earned £286,926 last year, a figure that includes pension contributions and allowances.

Richard Waghorn, director of operations, technology and transformation, earned a total salary of €281,750. Eimear Cusack, director of human resources, earned €274,815.

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Other senior executives also received salaries close to those of the top on-air talent. Deirdre McCarthy, managing director of RTÉ News & Current Affairs, received a total salary of €273,490. Paula Mullooly, director of legal affairs, earned €260,160. She left the station at the end of 2023.

Kevin Bakhurst, who took over as chief executive midway through the year, earned €161,767.

He said: “2023 has been a challenging year for all of us at RTÉ and for the many who have placed their trust in us. In response, through wide-ranging and significant reforms, my management team and the Board have tackled key issues head on and committed to delivering the transformation RTÉ needs to rebuild and restore trust, both internally and externally.

“Through an unprecedented programme of reforms, we have delivered greater transparency, rigour in our decision-making and financial discipline, whilst focusing on the future and delivering on our ambition for RTÉ. We are grateful to everyone who has paid their TV licence fee during this period.”

In its annual report, RTÉ said special events cost more last year, rising to €7.4m, compared to €6.7m the year before. The increase was driven by the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, European qualifiers and President Joe Biden’s visit to Ireland.

Personnel costs were estimated at €9.8 million, due to the wage agreement reached with workers in November 2022 and an increase in the number of contracts.

“These declines were offset by the hiring freeze announced in response to lower licence fee sales. Following a significant increase in energy costs in 2022, 2023 saw a €1 million decrease in energy costs as the wholesale market price declined throughout 2023.”