TVNZ pays 168 staff more than $100,000

CEO Rick Ellis earns more than $830,000 a year. File photo / Brett Phibbs

TVNZ pays 168 of its employees more than $100,000 a year, with the top salary of more than $830,000 paid to chief executive Rick Ellis.

A table showing what staff were paid showed one person each above the top salary bands of $830,000, $580,000 and $500,000.

There were three people on around $400,000, and six between $290,000 and $380,000.

In 2004, there was public outrage when it was revealed One News presenter Judy Bailey had negotiated a $800,000 salary with TVNZ.

The state broadcaster's annual report also shows a reorganisation at TVNZ cost $3.7 million.

TVNZ listed expenses related to the reorganisation at $3.7m for the 2009 financial year which included more than 80 redundancies.

The cut backs were announced in March as part of measures to save $25m, after lower than anticipated advertising revenue.

Savings of $13.1m were made against budgeted costs for the year which included savings from restructuring.

Yet TVNZ still made a $2.1m after tax profit and declared a final dividend paid to the government of $1.47m.

Total revenue was $384.8m, which was 1.9 percent or $7.5m down on the previous year.

Advertising revenue was $298.4m, a $17.1m or 5.4 per cent decline on the previous year.

TVNZ said the decline was less than other Australasian media companies suffered, buffered by gains made from screening the Beijing Olympics last August.

The report said TVNZ had increased its share of advertising by 2 per cent taking business off competitors.

It also said there were significant improvements in ratings and Freeview had taken off, with about 16 per cent of the market picking it up.

- NZPA