Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Brendan O'Connor, left, and Ryan Tubridy front RTE's two primetime chat shows Photocall Ireland
chatty men

Saturday Night Show tops Late Late for guest costs

Brendan O’Connor show spent over €5,000 more on guests than Ryan Tubridy-fronted show. Between them, they shelled out €265,318 on filling the guest seats last season.

A FREEDOM OF Information request has turned up an interesting fact about RTE1′s two main chat shows – it cost more to stock the Saturday Night Show with guests than it did on the Late Late Show.

Barry Moran in the Irish Sun (print edition) notes that RTE shelled out €135,459 for guests on Brendan O’Connor’s Saturday night gig. The station paid €129,859 on guests for the Ryan Tubridy-hosted Late Late. An RTE spokesman told Moran that “in general RTE pays for guests to appear on their prime-time chat shows” but that those promoting a film, book, programme etc. don’t receive a fee.

To this end, the likes of Ronan Keating, the parents of Madeleine McCann and Nadine Coyle did not receive a fee for their Late Late appearances.

It is not, however, known whether had to shell out an extra fee to host Brendan O’Connor to do his Elvis turn on his last Saturday Night Show of the season…

Read more from Barry Moran in today’s Irish Sun (print edition)>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
8
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.