Tubridy's return to air a matter for DG as presenter welcomes findings of report into RTÉ payments
Ryan Tubridy entering Leinster House before his appearance at an Oireacthas committee in June. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews.ie
Ryan Tubridy has welcomed the findings of the Grant Thornton report into RTÉ's payments — and repeated his offer to publish the details of any future RTÉ contract he receives.
The report, published on Wednesday, has suggested it is “a very plausible explanation” that fees paid by RTÉ to its star presenter were underdeclared by €120,000 from 2017-2019 to keep the payments under the €500,000 mark.
The report concerns alleged discrepancies regarding Mr Tubridy’s pay between the years 2017 and 2019.
Mr Tubridy’s earnings were stated by RTÉ as €491,667 for 2017, €495,000 in 2018 and €495,000 in 2019 when his fees were actually €511,667, €545,000 and €545,000 respectively.
The RTÉ board said in a statement the report made clear that neither Mr Tubridy nor NK Management had any involvement in the adjustments for the period 2017-2019.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Tubridy said he welcomed the findings of the report.
"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."
Mr Tubridy added he was "committed to re-establishing" confidence and trust with both his colleagues and his listeners.
He acknowledged the "huge support" he had received from people in recent weeks, claiming the "many cards and letters, greetings on the street and words of support from people I bumped in to" had meant an awful lot.
In late June, when RTÉ first made the public aware of issues regarding Mr Tubridy’s pay between 2017 and 2022, a statement from its board said along with being paid €225,000 more than was publicly known from 2020 to 2022, the presenter’s pay had also been understated for the years 2017-2019 by €120,000.
Meanwhile, RTÉ Board chair Siún Ní Raghallaigh has said that any decision about a return to air of Mr Tubridy was a matter for the director general Kevin Bakhurst.
The “very lengthy and technical report” by Grant Thornton pointed to governance failures within RTÉ along with deficiencies in internal management controls and failure, she told RTÉ radio’s .
Ms Ní Raghallaigh said she hoped to see a gradual change in culture, openness and transparency in RTÉ.
When asked if the report vindicated Mr Tubridy and could lead to his return to the airwaves, she said that was a matter for the director general.
“At the end of the day, that's ultimately his decision.”
On the issue of the licence fee and the sharp fall in income, Ms Ní Raghallaigh called for the recommendations of the Future Media Commission to be implemented. The licence fee model was a broken model, she added.
“As a democracy, we value public service media and the importance of having a stable public service media. And the sooner we get back to that discussion, I think the better.”
This afternoon, the RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) said it was "gravely disturbed" by the contents of the second Grant Thornton Review.
In a statement, TUG Secretary Cearbhall Ó Síocháin said the report gives rise to "a number of questions about corporate governance failures, the role of the auditor, Deloitte and critically, for the TUG, the manner in which RTÉ engaged with its own workers, its trade unions and with the board."
Mr Ó'Síocháin said that trust is "the cornerstone of good governance" and something that is "at the heart of the relationship between management and unions."
"We hope that the reviews on corporate governance and HR established by the government will provide the framework for dealing with the fundamental issues in the report," he added.
"The trust that was shattered will not be easy to rebuild and trade unions will judge RTÉ by the actions and attitude of the management and Board of RTÉ from today."
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