These payments were distributed across various popular TV and radio shows, excluding politicians and those promoting films, albums, programs, or books.

The Late Late Show, hosted by Patrick Kielty, led the spending with €135,620 allocated to 170 guests, averaging about €800 per guest.

Next was RTÉ Radio’s Today with Claire Byrne, which paid just over €60,000 to 1,111 guests, averaging €54 per appearance.

Brendan O’Connor’s Sunday radio panel show came in third, with just under €40,000 paid to 552 guests, averaging slightly over €72 per person.

Other notable expenditures included €27,757 for 648 guests on Drivetime, €35,412 for 596 guests on Morning Ireland, and €18,946 for 177 guests on Ray D’Arcy’s show.

Smaller amounts were spent on shows like Sunday with Miriam (€4,320), Six One News (€4,000), and Upfront with Katie Hannon (€3,870). The lowest spending was €479 by the Nine O’Clock News for six contributors, averaging around €80 each.

In total, RTÉ’s guest fees amounted to €340,464 for 3,515 guests across twelve major programmes, averaging €96.86 per guest.

An RTÉ spokesman clarified that payments are made to guests and contributors, including journalists, artists, and musicians, for their participation, but no fees are given to those promoting specific works or political representatives.