A TV3 insider has responded to recent comments made by Ruth O’ Neill’s about her decision to leave Xpose.
The presenter said that ‘the pay is not equal to the work’ and that the hours were ‘crazy’.
Now, an insider at the station has hit back at Ruth’s comments.
“You have to work long hours and put in the effort and of course you have to travel, particularly for a show like Xpose,” the source told independent.ie
They added: “That’s the nature of the beast.
“You can’t take on a job like that and not expect to have to travel.”
This is in reference to comments Ruth made about the fact that she and co-star Cassie Stokes had to the majority of the travelling involved with the job.
“Myself and Cassie were doing a lot of travelling and a lot of the evening work. It was kind of expected, because [it was felt] ‘Oh well, you guys are free,” she said.
The source continued: “It’s all part of the package so, in that respect, it’s a total no-brainer.
“Any reporter on TV or otherwise knows that it’s not a nine-to-five job.
“Of course it involves long hours and having to work weekends sometimes. You need a particular kind of work ethic for it.”
The station insider also addressed the claim made by Ruth that the pay she was receiving was not equal to the work she was doing.
“Everyone knows that we can’t pay our talent the astronomical rates of RTE,”
“We don’t have any licence fee revenue and it’s all commercially driven. It’s more about getting your foot on the ladder and getting some TV experience.”
