Door for Ryan Tubridy return to RTÉ 'not closed forever', says Kevin Bakhurst
Ryan Tubridy thanked people across the country for their support in recent weeks. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins
Ryan Tubridy was "shocked and disappointed" when he was told over the phone he would not be returning to his presenting role at RTÉ "at this time".
RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst told the former presenter that talks regarding his return would not be continuing.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, Mr Bakhurst said: "We went into negotiations with Ryan in good faith and in the hopes of reaching an agreement that would see Ryan return to his RTÉ Radio 1 show.
A report by Grant Thornton this week said it was “very plausible” that fees paid by RTÉ to its star presenter were under-declared by €120,000 from 2017-2019 to keep the payments under the €500,000 mark.
Responding to the report, Mr Tubridy said: "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 the report had made it clear his "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".
However, his response drew some questioning from RTÉ as he maintained the review “made it clear” that his actual income from the broadcaster in 2020 and 2021 “matches what was originally published” in February as his earnings for those years.
Speaking on RTÉ One's , Mr Bakhurst denied Thursday's shock decision was made in response to Mr Tubridy's statement.
"It doesn't boil down to the statement alone," Mr Bakhurst said.
"I think the statement yesterday muddied the waters somewhat and I think it is really important that Grant Thornton and the RTÉ board restated the correct earnings for those years. I don't think it helps to undermine that."
He said the facts and figures must be accepted by everyone at RTÉ, saying the broadcaster will not be able to move on as long as people continue to question things.
Mr Bakhurst denied any suggestion the decision was petty, saying he put serious thought into ending the negotiations despite saying the fundamentals had already been agreed.
Mr Bakhurst said while there had been thorny issues during the talks over the past number of weeks, they had managed to overcome them.
However, he said the statement released by the presenter on Wednesday and a series of leaks that "didn't come from me" were factors in Thursday's final decision.
Mr Tubridy was shocked and disappointed when informed of the decision, according to Mr Bakhurst who said it was a "difficult conversation" to have.
Mr Bakhurst reiterated both sides had to bear some responsibility for what occurred.
"I think part of the discussions between me and Mr Tubridy have been about the need to take responsibility on both sides."
The director general said he believed RTÉ had done that and it was important Mr Tubridy also owns a certain amount of responsibility.
On the subject of Mr Tubridy's future with RTÉ, Mr Bakhurst said the door was not shut forever.
"I don't want to put a timescale on it because then people will be asking me about it in three weeks or three months or whatever.
"I need to focus on the other things that I and the leadership team need to do to restore trust in this organisation with audiences, with politicians and with staff."
He later added: "We just need to see an acceptance of what the reality was of the deals around his salary and a number of other factors."
Speaking later to , Mr Bakhurst said the plan would have seen Mr Tubridy return to his 9am radio slot on September 4, and host a new podcast on a salary of €170,000.
Mr Bakhurst said both listeners and staff at RTÉ Radio 1 were split on whether they would welcome Mr Tubridy's return.
In the weeks since RTÉ first made the public aware of issues regarding Mr Tubridy’s pay, TV licence fee revenue has plummeted by almost €3.7m.
However, Mr Bakhurst said it was not inevitable RTÉ would need to be bailed out by the Government.
Mr Bakhurst also confirmed Mr Tubridy intended to return the €150,000 as he had pledged.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, Mr Bakhurst said: "We went into negotiations with Ryan in good faith and in the hopes of reaching an agreement that would see Ryan return to his RTÉ Radio 1 show.
"I have decided not to continue with negotiations and, as such, there are no plans for Ryan to return to his presenting role with RTÉ at this time."
A spokesman for a media agency representing Mr Tubridy told the PA news agency he was not making any comment on the matter.
Mr Bakhurst said the breakdown in talks occurred despite "having agreed some of the fundamentals" such as fee, duration and hours.
He also said he believed trust between the parties had broken down.
He added public statements were made without consultation that appeared to question the basis for the necessary restatement of fees paid for services for 2020 and 2021.
"As I set about a programme of recovery from this crisis, it is imperative that all parties are aligned in one key respect: the misstatement of fees should never have happened; and the correct re-statement of those fees is accepted by all," Mr Bakhurst said.
He added that since he took up the role of director general, he has been clear in his commitment to restoring trust in the broadcaster.
Mr Bakhurst said in order to do this, RTÉ must "acknowledge and accept" the issues that have arisen from the controversy.
He concluded: "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."
The RTÉ board said it noted the decision of Mr Bakhurst regarding Mr Tubridy.
In a statement, it said: “The board supports the ongoing work of the director general and his interim leadership team.
“The board fully accepts the findings of both Grant Thornton reports. We will be making no further comment on this matter.”
In a statement from her department, Media Minister Catherine Martin 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.
The statement said: “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.
“Restoring this trust requires continued full and open co-operation with the independent reviews established by Minister Martin, as well as the inquiries of the Oireachtas, and a tangible commitment to reform.
Mr Tubridy has been off the air since June 22 when the under-declaration of his salary was first confirmed by the RTÉ Board.
The news has come as a shock to RTÉ staff after they were expecting Mr Tubridy to return to the airwaves after a second Grant Thornton review published on Tuesday.
Speaking earlier this week, after a report into the understating of his pay found neither he nor his agent had anything to do with the accounting adjustments, Mr Tubridy said he was committed to rebuilding the trust of listeners and the public.
The national broadcaster on Wednesday published a report by Grant Thornton which found RTÉ "on the balance of probabilities" understated the former host's earnings to make it appear he had earned less than €500,000 per year.
RTÉ had been forced to ask Grant Thornton to carry out the review into the under-declaration of payments of €120,000 to Mr Tubridy. The report was delivered on Monday and published on Wednesday.
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 report said there was no document to explain why the €120,000 end-of-contract fee was split up across 2017, 2018 and 2019 the way it had been.
The report confirms the board of RTÉ was "correct in restating Mr Tubridy’s publicly disclosed earnings for the period between 2017 and 2019" back in June and makes clear "neither Mr Tubridy nor NK Management had any involvement in the adjustments for the period 2017-2019".
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