Earlier this week, it was reported that the broadcaster was set to pay a dedicated Fair City photographer €240,000 over three years to take 16 still images on set.

However in a statement today, RTÉ said the photographer would be paid “a maximum of €60,000 per annum, or €240,000 over four years”.

The successful candidate will work an average of 20 hours per week over the course of three days per week.

This works out at €60 per hour, before tax, given the photographer will work 20 hours across 50 weeks in a year.

“The contract is guide price and is for a maximum of €60,000 per annum, or €240,000 over four years,” RTÉ said in a release this morning.

The new role will require a photographer to “deliver a minimum of 16 approved photograph stills in both high and low resolution to Fair City each week, for 50 weeks per year, as specified by RTÉ”.

This imagery will be used across a variety of media outlets to help drive audiences to the show “as viewers can now decide what to watch based on the promotional image that appears on their platform”.

Executive Producer or Fair City, Brigie de Courcy said: “I cannot overstate the importance of high quality, highly curated photography in promoting Fair City in the busy landscape of press and digital publicity. It is vital to have a skilled photographer to capture, in single frames, moments of drama that will intrigue our regular audience, and bring new viewers to Fair City.”

Mr Bakhurst on Wednesday when questioned about the previous offer from RTÉ to pay €240,000 for a Fair City photographer across three years, said he “can’t believe” the salary that was being offered for the work.

This move comes one day after RTÉ announced a recruitment freeze to combat plummeting TV licence fee revenue.

In an email sent to staff, Mr Bakhurst said the recruitment freeze will begin with “immediate effect”. He also announced all “discretionary spending” would be halted.

The new RTÉ chief said partial or full sale of RTÉ lands is on the table as the broadcaster seeks to solve a financial crisis.

Mr Bakhurst said a funding request for €34.5million had been lodged in order to give RTÉ time to see where to make further cuts next year.

It comes on the back of an anticipated shortfall of €21m in TV licence fee payments by the end of the year.

The current licence fee system is “obsolete and redundant”, the RTÉ chairperson has said, as she admitted the national broadcaster is fighting for its future.

RTÉ Commitee: Brendan Griffin TD says he’d rather spend his TV licence fee in the pub.