Director General of RTE Noel Curran said today that the salaries of top presenters at the broadcaster will be cut by 30% in relation to peak salary levels in 2008.
Curran also indicated that a redundancy package and a slimmed down organisation will be necessary to help make up the projected €34 million shortfall of RTE this year. In 2009, RTE undertook to cut all salaries to the top 10 presenters as their contracts came up for renewal, on top of the 10% voluntary pay cut they took in 2009. It is intended that all pay cuts will be in place by 2013. Curran has already begun meeting with staff at RTE to brief them on the proposed changes and the plan to have RTE operating on the “slimmest cost base”.
The Irish Times reports that a cut of 30% to Marian Finucane’s 2008 income would see it drop from €570,000 to €399,000. Joe Duffy’s earnings of €408,889 in 2008 would be reduced to €286,222 with a 30% cut. Pat Kenny’s peak salary in 2008 was €950,976 and a 30% drop would decrease it to €665,683% although Kenny has probably already taken a significant pay cut following his departure from the ‘Late Late Show’ in May 2009.
These changes come into place as Noel Curran, who has been director general of RTE since February implements a three year plan to help the organisation keep its finances in order. RTE is predicting a deficit of €17 million this year after savings are made. Director General Noel Curran claimed that it was the government diversion of the license fee away from RTE that has left RTE in financial difficulty. Noel Curran suggested to The Irish Times that there is a need for broader policy changes such as “a possible move from a TV licence fee to a universal househould media charge.”
