A fresh controversy surrounding payments at RTÉ has been described as “difficult to comprehend” by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, as the national broadcaster’s senior management were called in for an urgent meeting with the minister responsible.
It emerged that presenter Derek Mooney had been at least RTÉ’s ninth highest-paid presenter since 2020, yet had not appeared on any of the broadcaster’s annual published lists because he was classified internally as a producer rather than a presenter, reports Breaking News.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan also said he wanted to clarify how RTÉ had paid presenters Claire Byrne and Ray D’Arcy close to €100,000 after both had departed from Radio One.
In the wake of the Mooney revelation, the minister called for a full audit of payments to presenters at the national broadcaster, reports Breaking News.
The controversy bears strong similarities to the scandal that plunged RTÉ into crisis nearly three years ago, when it emerged that the broadcaster had significantly underdeclared payments to former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy, reports Breaking News.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the right decision had been taken by RTÉ in moving to clarify its presenter pay arrangements, and stressed that maintaining public confidence in the broadcaster was of paramount importance, reports Breaking News.
Speaking to reporters at the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, he also defended the licence fee and proposals to increase the salary of station chief Kevin Bakhurst.
He added: “We don’t want to be micromanaging RTÉ either, or indeed micromanaging commercial semi-states, so obviously the formal decision has to come to government, but again, there’s a marketplace out there as well and one has to be sensible in how you go about things as well,” reports Breaking News.
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