Half of top 10 highest earners are corporate bigwigs

RTE stars Joe Duffy and Claire Byrne were its highest paid presenters last year - but senior executives are earning more than most on-air talent.

- BY CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

After it was rocked by a payment scandal in 2023 which saw Ryan Tubridy leave, the station has promised to be “more transparent”.

However, new rules around contractors declaring payments made outside of the broadcaster have led to their biggest stars leaving.

In its Annual report yesterday, RTE revealed former Liveline host Duffy being the highest paid presenter with a salary of €351,000.

DEPARTURE

He quit earlier this year with Claire Byrne, the second highest paid star at the broadcaster with a €280,000 salary, also announcing a shock departure to Newstalk in January.

The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty comes in third with a salary of €257,657.