An explosive 24 hours for a beleaguered RTÉ

The more recent controversies plaguing RTÉ have centred on exit payments. Picture: Mark Stedman

It was another extraordinary 24 hours for RTÉ — even by the beleaguered broadcaster’s standards — which saw the resignation of chair of its board Siún Ní Raghallaigh in the early hours of Friday.

It came after an explosive interview on RTÉ’s Prime Time with Media Minister Catherine Martin, in which she refused to express confidence in Ms Ní Raghaillagh and claimed she had been “misinformed” by the RTÉ chair over board approval for recent exit packages.

The departure of Ms Ní Raghaillagh is the latest in a slew of controversies at RTÉ, and it still appears there will be more questions to answer in the coming days and weeks as conflict still remains between the accounts of RTÉ and that of the minister in how it all fell out.

In the wake of scandals which began to engulf RTÉ last June, many of its most senior figures have exited stage left while appearances before Oireachtas committees for a grilling from TDs and senators have become a regular occurrence.

It began with the revelations on June 22 regarding payments made to presenter Ryan Tubridy and his contract negotiations back in 2020. 

At the time, he was taken off the air of his Radio One show while the matters were all probed and the public began to become familiar with the key staff at RTÉ via Oireachtas committee hearings and familiar with barter accounts.

Chair of the board of RTÉ Siún Ní Raghallaigh resigned on Friday.  Picture: Leah Farrell

Things spiralled when, a day after the news first emerged, the RTÉ board released a statement to say that outgoing director general Dee Forbes was suspended. 

Ms Forbes resigned on June 26. 

She has not appeared at any committee hearings that followed.

Director of strategy Rory Coveney, who had faced a grilling over the €2.2m loss made by Toy Show: The Musical at the initial Oireachtas hearings, resigned on July 9. 

It meant an extremely heavy in-tray for incoming director general Kevin Bakhurst when he took the reins a day later, with another departure coming in the form of director of commercial Geraldine O’Leary who took early retirement with immediate effect.

The most high-profile departure of the summer was of course Mr Tubridy, following protracted contract negotiations.

The more recent controversies plaguing RTÉ have centred on exit payments, including Mr Coveney and former chief financial officers Breda O’Keeffe and Richard Collins. 

While Ms O’Keeffe left in March 2020 with an exit package worth €450,000, Mr Collins stepped down in October and the details of any package for him are subject to a confidentiality clause.

Ms Ní Raghallaigh’s resignation will not come close to bringing this scandal to a close and, with the future of how RTÉ will be funded yet to be determined, it appears the controversy will rumble on for Mr Bakhurst, Ms Martin, and those on the RTÉ board — whoever they may be — going forward.