OLIVER CALLAN, WHO is hosting the nine o’clock spot on RTÉ Radio One following the ousting of Ryan Tubridy, has said the controversy that led to his departure is a “lesson”.
Tubridy, who was previously the organisation’s highest earner, was due to return to his morning radio show in September for a salary of €170,000.
But RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said last week that the presenter would not be returning, following a breakdown in negotiations.
The slot formerly occupied by The Ryan Tubridy Show has been replaced with The Nine O’Clock Show, along with new theme music.
In his opening monologue this morning, Callan said it was not the start of a new era, but “it is firmly the end of one, which is unfortunate”.
“There is a sense of wrong that he won’t be heard here again,” Callan said.
“But look, the whole bloomin’ controversy is a bit of a lesson, I think, as well, on graciously and humbly accepting second chances when they’re being offered to you.”
Bakhurst said last week that trust had “broken down” during negotiations, and that a statement from Tubridy “made without consultation” was the clincher.
The comments, Bakhurst said, seemed to “question the basis for the necessary restatement of fees paid for services for 2020 and 2021″.
The statement followed the publication of a second Grant Thornton report into the pay scandal, which found that Tubridy and his agent had no role in adjustments made to Tubridy’s salary.
Callan said: “He’s not a hated figure. He’s not cancelled. He has opportunities aplenty, and we sincerely wish them well.
“He will be back because there is a home always for for Ryan’s experience and his mischief.”
Callan, who described himself at the top of the show as a “caretaker”, spoke highly of Tubridy, referencing some of his more memorable moments as host of The Late Late Show and his radio show.
He said: “We’re sorry and sad to see him go, just as we’re sorry and sad to see the harm that’s been done to RTÉ by all of all of the scandal.”
The scandal, which first emerged as a discrepancy between what RTÉ said Tubridy was being paid and what he was actually being paid, spiralled into a crisis for the national broadcaster, with major issues with advertising revenue and corporate governance being uncovered.
Disarray in the production of Toy Show: The Musical and a €5,000 bill for flip flops were among the revelations that engulfed RTÉ.
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