RTÉ and US President Donald Trump's golf resort in Doonbeg are applying for State support to pay their staff after revenue plummeted due to the coronavirus.

Workers at RTÉ learned in a bulletin from director-general Dee Forbes yesterday that the station will avail of the Government's emergency wage subsidy scheme as she predicted a fall of up to 35pc in revenue this year.

She also warned it is inevitable additional measures will be required in the weeks and months ahead.

RTÉ's latest annual report shows its revenue stood at €339m in 2018, made up of €150m from commercial revenue and €189m from the licence fee. This means revenue would fall by an estimated €118m this year, based on Ms Forbes's forecast.

Wages will be subsidised by between 70pc and 85pc under the scheme.

An RTÉ spokesperson said it will top up pay to 100pc so no member of staff will be at a loss. He said those who may not be eligible for the scheme will continue to be paid in full.

He was unable to say how many staff will be eligible. However, hundreds are likely to be supported among the workforce of 1,822. The subsidy is available to those earning up to €76,000. But it is only available to those earning above this if their wages are now lower than they were before the crisis.

Staff whose pay is subsidised will work as normal.

The station is struggling following a major decline in ad revenue and TV licence fee income.

It had already embarked on a major cost-cutting plan to make €60m savings over three years when the pandemic began.

Ms Forbes said revenue could fall between 25pc and 35pc.

She said there was a sharp reduction in advertising spend, particularly on TV, and licence fee revenue had dropped as many people cannot get to the post office.

The RTÉ spokesperson said it was in talks with Government on a range of issues.

He said they included the public health crisis, additional emergency measures and longer-term structural reforms necessary to sustain public broadcasting beyond this crisis.

"Like many companies and organisations, RTÉ has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic," it said in a statement.

"RTÉ is seeing significant declines in TV licence fee revenue and in our commercial income. RTÉ was already implementing cost-cutting measures as part of our revised strategy, so these declines have put further pressure on finances at a time when the need to provide vital news, information and entertainment to the public is more crucial than ever."

The media industry has been struggling following a severe decline in advertising revenue and falling newspaper circulation.

The publisher of this newspaper, INM, has introduced reduced hours and temporary lay-offs, and senior managers have accepted a temporary 10pc pay cut. Higher-paid managers and editors at the 'Irish Times' are taking temporary pay cuts of up to 30pc.

Journalists at the 'Business Post' are set for pay cuts up to 15pc and Communicorp, which owns Newstalk and Today FM, has announced pay cuts up to 25pc due to the Covid-19 emergency.

Meanwhile, the Trump Organisation will also avail of the wage subsidy for workers at the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, Co Clare. It is unclear if it will top up wages.

Managing director Joe Russell said it had laid off most staff but was ensuring they are looked after under the Government schemes available.

Irish Independent