RTÉ paid over €250k to guests of its most popular shows in 2022
From Rate Course Claire The One Where To Byrne During Around €59 Fees Of Each Overall Highest Radio Rté Bill — Came Of €65,781 Show The On A With Guest For 2022 The Came Today
RTÉ paid more than €250,000 to guests and contributors to some of its most popular shows last year with Claire Byrne’s radio show accounting for more than a quarter of the total bill.
The beleaguered public service broadcaster also said some contributor costs had risen last year as they had decided to pay higher-than-normal fees to individuals who were reporting from Ukraine.
The highest fees were paid to individuals appearing on Ryan Tubridy’s Late Late Show with €58,771 paid out to 194 different people.
That worked out at around €300 per appearance but did not include people who were appearing to promote their own films, albums, TV programmes, or books, who do not receive cash for being a guest.
The highest overall bill came from the Today with Claire Byrne show on RTÉ Radio One where fees came to €65,781 during the course of 2022. That paid for 1,122 separate guest contributions, at the rate of around €59 each.
A bill of €35,829 was run up by Brendan O’Connor through his weekend radio show. That covered the cost of 536 guests, each with an average payment of around €67, according to records that were released under FOI by RTÉ.
A total of €35,225 was paid by Drivetime to cover the costs of 719 contributors at a rate of €49 per head.
Smaller bills were run up by Morning Ireland at €22,555, Prime Time at €14,357, the Tubridy Show at €2,363, Sunday with Miriam at €3,735, the Ray D’Arcy Show at €14,533, and Saturday with Katie Hannon at just €712.
RTÉ added that last year’s bill for Claire Byrne Live had been €3,820, but that the TV show had not run for a full season with the programme having ended in May 2022.
In an information note, they also said that a decision had been made by RTÉ News Management and Finance that contributors from Ukraine should get a higher rate due to the dangers involved in reporting from an active warzone.
Overall, a total of €257,681 was paid to guests appearing on RTÉ’s most popular TV and radio shows, working out at around €77 for each appearance.
Asked about the overall payments, a spokesman for RTÉ said: “In general, RTÉ pays for these guests and contributors (which include journalists, academics, authors and musicians) for their time appearing on our programmes.
“However, where guests or contributors are promoting a film, album, programme or book, etc. no fee is usually paid. Political representatives are not paid a fee when they appear on RTÉ programmes.
“Guests and contributor fees are a standard part of programme production costs, both nationally and internationally, and RTÉ has made all efforts to deliver the best possible value for money regarding fees paid.”