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RTÉ Recasts Top-Paid List, Adds Derek Mooney After Role Review

The change reflects a transparency drive shaped by governance reforms after an external review.

Overview

  • RTÉ, which secured board approval on Thursday, re-presented its 2024 top-10 list to include Derek Mooney at €197,151 and set a new rule to count dual producer–presenter roles from 2025.
  • Derek Mooney had been classified as a producer from 2020 to 2024, and the board chair said he might have qualified earlier as a presenter but past lists will not be reopened.
  • Director General Kevin Bakhurst said Friday that the 2020 producer designation was legally justifiable under Mooney’s executive producer contract but that RTÉ chose to include him for greater transparency.
  • The 2025 figures also disclosed post-exit payments to Claire Byrne (€47,000 after 31 October 2025) and Ray D’Arcy (€50,000 after 9 October 2025), which RTÉ said honored their contracts.
  • RTÉ says the revisions implement recommendations from a May 2024 Expert Advisory Committee that flagged governance and transparency weaknesses, and it described the top-10 list as a voluntary disclosure with updated criteria.