Pat Kenny criticises politicians' 'schadenfreude' in treatment of RTÉ scandal 

Newstalk presenter Pat Kenny accused RTÉ officials of failing to answer questions around 'Late Late Toy Show: The Musical' but also aimed criticism at politicians' conduct of the Oireachtas committees. Picture Sam Boal/RollingNews

Broadcaster Pat Kenny has hit out at what he sees as “schadenfreude” from a number of politicians — noting that his agent Noel Kelly has given him “exemplary service”. 

Mr Kelly has been at the forefront of the RTÉ payments scandal of the last few weeks along with Ryan Tubridy, one of a number of his clients who work for the national broadcaster.

Both Mr Kelly and Mr Tubridy will appear before two Oireachtas committees on Tuesday morning to discuss the “commercial arrangements entered into by RTÉ and its presenters, including those underwritten by RTÉ, which have impacted on and relate to the expenditure of public monies". 

Pat Kenny said that the committee hearing would be the most “gripping Oireachtas TV episode ever" — but warned that the RTÉ board is reaching a “crisis point” in the aftermath of the scandal.

On his Newstalk radio show, Mr Kenny said: "I missed all this, well I didn't really — I was following it online. But I was away on holiday and I apologised earlier, and I'll do it again to all my journalistic colleagues — I didn't take their calls.

"I thought when they heard the foreign ringtone they'd leave me alone but they didn't. Talk to one, talk to everybody: So I talked to nobody. I just lay that out there.” 

Mr Kenny confirmed Mr Kelly has been his agent since he joined Newstalk, saying that he got “exemplary service” from him.

"No complaints, him and his team were fantastic I have to say that.” 

Mr Kenny also praised Mr Tubridy for his “hard work, diligence, and honesty”, noting that he had started his career as a reporter for Mr Kenny’s former radio show on RTÉ Radio 1.

However, he was not impressed with the actions of some senators and TDs in recent weeks. He said: 

Politicians interfering is not, ever, a good idea. I was watching it from afar and there was a word that kept cropping up in my mind and that word was 'schadenfreude'.

"It's a German word but what it actually means is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another.

"And I thought there was schadenfreude in spades going on. 

"Mostly from the political side, people who have lost probably €1.5bn building a children's hospital giving out about the price of flip-flops. It's hard to take.” 

Mr Kenny confirmed that he was a former member of the RTÉ board having been appointed by a previous minister to the role while he was still with the organisation.

He also accused the RTÉ officials of failing to answer questions around the disastrous Late Late Toy Show: The Musical.

He said the board had “kicked it down the road” before it was discovered last week to have lost €2.2m.

Mr Kenny said he was offered complimentary tickets to the musical which he didn’t take up but that people in the Newstalk office who had attended the show found it a “depressing kind of story” at times.