RYAN Tubridy says he’ll take another pay cut, even if it means he loses almost half his salary in just six years.
RTE’s highest earner is in the spotlight as the embattled station is seeking to shave 15 per cent off the pay of its top presenters.
It’s part of an ambitious plan to save €60 million over the next three years.
And Tubs, who saw his wages fall from €723,000 to €495,000 in 2013, insisted he will “not be found wanting” if he’s asked to take another financial hit.
He said: “I’ve taken a pay cut before, I took over 30 per cent the last time.
“They’ve asked for more again, which would bring it up to about 45 per cent or thereabouts since I took The Late Late show.
“When it comes to this sort of issue, that’s not something I’ve ever been found wanting in and that continues to be the case.”
The 46-year-old also insisted he doesn’t have any issue with questions about his pay, believing it’s part and parcel of his job with the State broadcaster.
He said: “From the moment I walked in the gate of RTE and got a job in the public eye, personally, you’re under public scrutiny, or people feel a great sense of ownership about RTE and that’s quite right.
“They pay the licence fee. And actually it’s kind of heartening when people care so much.”
BELIEVE IN RTE
He added: “I just hope that people don’t lose sight of the need for public service broadcasting.
“Some of the great programmes, documentaries, news service, entertainment programmes are there, and I think they’re a very important part of the national identity, the national fabric, tapestry of who we are, and I would hate the import to be lost in the fog of unhappiness for other reasons, so yeah, I believe in RTE and I think if it was to disappear tomorrow it would be a sad day.
“I think people would rue that, ultimately.”
RTE’s director general Dee Forbes has repeatedly called on the Government to immediately reform the licence fee system, insisting that the station cannot fulfil its remit otherwise.
Asked if he felt the Government cared enough about RTE considering its failure to implement reforms to date, Tubridy said: “I think some governments care about RTE more than others.”
However, he said it was up to others to “decide how they’re treating us”, adding: “I’m not privy to those conversations, so I don’t know.”
‘FAKE’ SOCIAL MEDIA
While other top-earning presenters have previously told of receiving threatening remarks because of their high salaries, Tubridy revealed he steers clear of any negative commentary.
He said: “I’m sure I have but I don’t read it. I don’t like “Fakebook”, I don’t like Twitter.
“I think “Fakebook” has become really problematic, there’s no responsibility taken as I see it for a lot of these social media platforms, that’s why we need RTE.
“Otherwise you just have this self-serving model of non-news, tampered with by outside forces.”
He added: “I want RTE because I believe in journalism.
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“I believe in people who have studied how to be a journalist, who can tell us what the news is in an unbiased fair fashion.
“If you want to get your news somewhere else, good luck with that.”
The presenter was speaking as he helped launch St Vincent de Paul’s annual appeal, as the charity seeks funding to help more than 50,000 families who will access its services this year.