Media

RTÉ’s top broadcasters were paid too much, director general admits

State broadcaster to start charging for some content

RTÉ director general Noel Curran, who said the the national broadcaster was committed to delivering a minimum 30 per cent cut in salaries. Photograph: Eric Luke
RTÉ director general Noel Curran, who said the the national broadcaster was committed to delivering a minimum 30 per cent cut in salaries. Photograph: Eric Luke
Kathryn Hayes
Fri Apr 12 2013 - 06:50

The director general of RTÉ has admitted the organisation paid some its top broadcasters "too much" and warned that some of its biggest earners could see salaries cut by up to 40 per cent.

Speaking to journalism students at the University of Limerick yesterday, Noel Curran said the national broadcaster was committed to delivering a minimum 30 per cent cut in salaries, but this figure could be higher by the time all of the contracts are renegotiated.

“We were paying, given what has happened, some of our talent too much and frankly, that wasn’t their fault. It was our fault,” he said. “ People will understandably negotiate as high a fee as they can.”

Mr Curran added that the most serious question facing all media outlets was how they would fund themselves.

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“RTÉ will move into the premium online space internationally in the next number of months,” the director general said.

“We will start charging for some of our content internationally. Not news, not a lot of that general content but we will introduce premium content over the next six to eight months because we have to.”