RTÉ has revealed the latest earnings of its highest-paid presenters

RTÉ has published the latest earnings of its highest-paid presenters, with all the usual suspects coming out on top.

The report is published annually, but two years in arrears; meaning these earnings are for the year 2016.

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Who’s on top?

As predicted, Ryan Tubridy has come out on top. The Late Late Show host and Radio One presenter takes home a salary of €495,000 per year; the same as he earned in 2015.

Ray D’Arcy is a close second, with earnings of €450,000 for his Saturday night chat show and weekday radio programme. This marks a €50,000 increase on his 2015 salary.

Six of the highest-paid presenters are men, with just four women making the list. These are Marian Finucane, Miriam O’Callaghan, Claire Byrne and Mary Wilson.

Broadcaster Marian Finucane earns €300,617 per year for hosting two radio programmes per weekend; €5,000 more than she took home last year. Claire Byrne also received a raise, with her salary increasing by €13,500 to €216,000.

See the full list below:

1. Ryan Tubridy – €495,000
2. Ray D’Arcy – €450,000
3. Joe Duffy – €389,988
4. Sean O’Rourke – €308,964
5. Marian Finucane – €300,617
6. Miriam O’Callaghan – €299,000
7. Claire Byrne – €216,000
8. Brian Dobson – €198,146
9. George Hamilton – €186,195
10. Mary Wilson – €185,679

Presenters earn 30% less than in 2008

Speaking about the report, RTÉ’s director-general Dee Forbes said, “The audited figures released today for 2016 sees RTÉ maintain our commitment to reduce these earnings by 30% as compared to 2008 levels, while continuing to value the significant contribution our presenters make, and to RTÉ’s ability to optimise commercial revenue to support Ireland’s public media.

“This will continue to be an area of focus for me. Within a challenging marketplace and in the absence of meaningful funding reform, we are making significant efforts to reduce costs across the organisation, in addition to the considerable reduction in operating costs implemented since 2008.”

Photo: RTÉ