RTÉ’S DIRECTOR GENERAL has stated that presenter Ryan Tubridy will not be returning to host his show on RTÉ Radio 1 as trust has “broken down” during the course of negotiations.
Tubridy stopped hosting the show in June following controversy over his salary at the broadcaster.
Director General Kevin Bakhurst said in a statement this evening that RTÉ went into negotiations with Tubridy “in good faith and in the hopes of reaching an agreement” but that he has now decided not to continue with those negotiations.
Bakhurst said that RTÉ and Tubridy did reach agreement on his potential fee and hours, but that trust broke down between the parties due to “public statements made without consultation” that seemed to “question the basis for the necessary restatement of fees paid for services for 2020 and 2021″.
Bakhurst said the misstatement of fees should never have happened, and that it was imperative to him that the correct re-statement of the fees received by Tubridy would be accepted by all.
“Who knows what the future holds, but for now I am concluding the negotiation with Ryan, and focusing on delivering a range of important changes to the operation and culture of this organisation as part of the essential work to restore trust in RTÉ,” he added.
Bakhurst said that he spoke with Tubridy earlier this evening, and described the presenter as “shocked and disappointed” with the decision to end the talks with no agreement in place.
A spokesman for a media agency representing Tubridy told the PA news agency he was not making any comment on the matter.
Grant Thornton yesterday published a report into the controversy surrounding Tubridy’s RTÉ salary, which found that he had “no involvement in the adjustments” made to his published earnings.
The fact-finding report confirmed that Tubridy’s salary was under-reported by €120,000 between 2017-2019.
It found that Tubridy himself and his agent “had no involvement in the adjustments made by RTE in 2020 to earnings published totalling €120,000 for 2017 to 2019″.
In a statement following the publication of the report yesterday, Tubridy welcomed the findings.
“I also welcome the report’s findings that I did not claim €120,000 in fees which was due to me in 2020 and that I did not agree with how RTÉ proposed to account for this decision,” he said.
While the earnings were publicly understated, there was no impact on RTÉ’s financial statements as a result of these adjustments.
Tubridy’s statement continued: “It is also clear that my actual income from RTÉ in 2020 and 2021 matches what was originally published as my earnings for those years and RTÉ has not yet published its top 10 earner details for 2022.
“I repeat my offer to publish the details of any future RTE contract.
“I am committed to re-establishing the confidence and trust of my colleagues and listeners, and I hope that any fair assessment of the findings of today’s report will help in this regard.”
Speaking to RTÉ’s News at Nine tonight, Bakhurt said Tubridy’s statement yesterday “muddied the waters somewhat”.
“I think it’s really important that Grant Thornton and the RTÉ Board restated the earnings correctly for those years and I don’t think it helps to undermine that. We need to all accept the restated earnings, that is the fact of it,” Bakhurst said.
He said “would like to think” the decision regarding Tubridy is “not petty”.
“I spent a great deal of time over the last few weeks in negotiations with Ryan and that’s why I was particularly disappointed yesterday because I felt we were in a good place, we had a core agreement for Ryan to come back and then the statement was issued, which once again questioned the newly stated salaries which are correct,” Bakhurst said.
RTÉ has confirmed that Ryan Tubridy will not be returning to work at the national broadcaster. In an email to staff, DG Kevin Bakhurst said he had decided not to continue with contract negotiations due to a break down in trust | Read more: https://t.co/Cu1CPzgfBJ pic.twitter.com/pFgSGf1XoR
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 17, 2023
The Director General said he spoke to Tubridy this evening to tell him about his decision.
“It was a difficult conversation,” Bakhurst said, adding that he took the decision because he “has to be able to focus on rebuilding trust in this organisation” and he “felt this was becoming a distraction”.
Bakhurst said that “the door is still open” for Tubridy.
“I think now is not the right time for Ryan to come back. We need to focus on rebuilding trust with the audience, but the door is not shut forever,” he said.
In a statement this evening, the RTÉ Board said it “notes the decision of the Director General Kevin Bakhurst in relation to Ryan Tubridy”.
“The Board supports the ongoing work of the Director General and his interim leadership team,” it said.
“The Board fully accepts the findings of both Grant Thornton reports.”
The RTÉ branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said it welcomes Bakhurst’s “restatement of his commitment to restoring trust in the organisation”.
“In particular, we welcome his statement that a line needs to be drawn between RTÉ’s recent past and the present, and that there must be full acknowledgement and acceptance of the issues that have arisen,” it said.
“NUJ members are striving for a fresh start for RTÉ and we believe this is what the public deserve. We want a renewed RTÉ that values and nurtures talent right across its workforce and that leads the way in terms of transparency, openness and accountability.”
In a statement from her Department, Media Minister Catherine Martin also noted RTÉ’s decision regarding Tubridy.
The Department said it was “an operational and editorial decision” for the Director-General to make, adding it “would not be appropriate” for the minister to comment on the matter given the editorial independence of RTÉ.
“What remains of utmost importance is that RTÉ concentrate its efforts on restoring the trust and confidence of the public, and fulfilling its important role as a public service broadcaster,” the statement said.
“Restoring this trust requires continued full and open co-operation with the independent reviews established by Minister Martin, as well as the enquiries of the Oireachtas, and a tangible commitment to reform,” it said.
“The RTÉ chair and DG have committed to full co-operation and taking immediate steps to address the failings in internal controls and governance, which is to be welcomed.”
Oliver Callan took over hosting the hour-long RTÉ Radio One timeslot for the Ryan Tubridy Show in June, before Brendan Courtney was handed the reins earlier this month.
In June, Center Parcs confirmed that it would not be renewing its sponsorship deal with the Ryan Tubridy Show after it emerged that Tubridy had been paid €345,000 more than publicly announced between 2017 and 2022.
The presenter stated in late June, a day after RTÉ announced the scandal, that “RTÉ has decided that for editorial reasons I should not broadcast my radio show next week.”
He also told fans that he looked forward to returning to the show “as soon as possible”.
With reporting by Hayley Halpin, Emer Moreau and Press Association
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