RTE STARS' AIR WAGE

Radio and TV presenters start to disclose their salaries to public | Byrne is first to tell listeners 'she was being honest' about her income | State body's director general says 'sorry' and resigns from job

- SANDRA MALLON

SOME of RTE’s highest paid presenters were forced to reveal their salaries yesterday and declare they were not involved in secret deals. 

It came as Dee Forbes quit as the national broadcaster’s director general in the midst of the controversial pay deal for outgoing Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy.

Ms Forbes, 56, had been suspended last week after it emerged he has been paid €345,000 more than what RTE had publicly declared.

This has prompted a host of other RTE presenters to reveal what their pay deals are worth.

Claire Byrne, 47, was the first to declare her salary insisting to her listeners she was “being honest” about her earnings.

She was once on €350,000 but dropped to €280,000 after quitting the Claire Byrne Live TV show, losing out on €70,000.

She made €25,000 extra for hosting quiz show Ireland’s Smartest this year.

Ms Byrne said on her RTE Radio One show yesterday: “I hope you can trust me.”

She added that she realised this is an amount “way beyond what many people would hope to earn”.

Ms Byrne said she had “no prior warning, no inkling that there was a problem on the horizon”.

She added: “My most recent published fee was €350,000. This was the fee agreed by RTE, for me to present this radio programme and Claire Byrne Live and as you know, I decided not to continue with that television show for personal and family reasons.

“And so, in order to be fully transparent with you, I want you to know that my RTE fee now is €280,000 and that fee is for presenting this programme.”

Ms Byrne said the last contract was negotiated by her agent Noel Kelly of NK Management.