RTÉ Under Scrutiny Over Pay Disclosures Following Reclassification

DUBLIN — Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ, is facing renewed questions regarding its internal financial oversight after admitting that the earnings of long-time broadcaster Derek Mooney were omitted from its list of top-ten highest-paid presenters for several years.

RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst confirmed this week that the broadcaster has formally revised its salary disclosures covering the period from 2020 through 2024. The move places Mooney—the host of the popular program Mooney Goes Wild—as the eighth highest-paid presenter on the 2024 list, with an annual income of €197,151. His 2025 earnings were reported at €202,264, landing him in the seventh spot.

The exclusion of Mooney resulted from a classification of his compensation as ‘executive producer’ fees rather than ‘presenter’ pay, creating a gap between legal job definitions and public perception.

Bakhurst maintained that the original classification, which categorized Mooney under his executive producer contract, was legally robust. However, he acknowledged that the broadcaster’s current priority is to meet heightened expectations for corporate transparency. “We think transparency is really important, and most people know Derek as a presenter, and I think we’d expect him to be classified as a presenter, even though I think the majority of his work is as an executive producer,” Bakhurst told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

The revision is not an isolated correction. According to internal reviews, the change stems from recommendations made by the Government-appointed Expert Advisory Committee on RTÉ culture and governance. RTÉ Chair Terence O’Rourke noted that the governance overhaul is intended to prevent further credibility gaps. The broadcaster confirmed that while Mooney’s earnings were not previously disclosed in the presenter list, a review of historical data suggests he would not have qualified for the top-ten list between 2015 and 2019, even if those years had been subject to the same classification logic.

“We actually took independent legal advice when the issue arose in the last few weeks about the decision that was taken in 2020 and the legal advice was it was a perfectly justifiable decision, given that Derek’s contract is as executive producer.”— Kevin Bakhurst, Director General of RTÉ

The revelation has fueled skepticism regarding RTÉ’s “hybrid” role contracts, which allow individuals to draw pay from both on-air and production channels. Critics, including public officials tasked with oversight of the license-fee-funded organization, continue to push for clearer reporting standards. Bakhurst explicitly denied allegations that the previous classification served as a “side deal” intended to circumvent widespread 15% pay cuts implemented for presenters following the 2023 financial scandals.

Further complicating the broadcaster’s public narrative, recent disclosures showed that former presenter Claire Byrne received €280,000 for 2025, a figure that covers a period beyond her final broadcast. Byrne, addressing the figures on her Newstalk program, stated, “I resigned from RTÉ in the summer, my contract though, ran until the end of the year, December 2025… I was happy to stay on and work there until the end.”

RTÉ management has committed to maintaining the expanded criteria for disclosure to ensure that future top-earner lists reflect the nature of the work performed, rather than strictly relying on formal contract titles. As the broadcaster navigates this latest chapter of administrative scrutiny, the focus remains on restoring public trust through rigorous financial reporting.