Gerry Ryan to accept pay cut

RADIO BROADCASTER Gerry Ryan’s self-imposed exile as the only top RTÉ presenter to refuse to take a pay cut ended yesterday – with an apology to his listeners.

Ryan, who earns €558,000 a year, said he had spent a “long time coming to terms with this issue, soul-searching and thinking about this in order to have something meaningful to say.” Ryan said he did not want to rush into the decision. “My greatest fear is that I would say something glib and something that did not take into account the incredibly serious situation we find ourselves in not just in RTÉ, that would be a selfish, myopic place to look, but in the entire country,” he said.

Ryan said he spoke with his children about the decision, but he also had to listen to listeners who had been texting and e-mailing him about taking a cut. “I believe that many out there who face greater challenges than pay cuts or cutbacks, those who have already lost their job and I’m mindful that many of you in the audience have had to pay that price already. With that in mind, I have agreed to take a pay cut.”