A deal to bring Ryan Tubridy back to RTÉ radio has fallen apart at the last minute after a bitter row between the national broadcaster and the presenter.
After two months of turmoil over Mr Tubridy’s pay, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said relations between the parties were shattered by a statement issued by the former Late Late Show presenter on Wednesday.
“Despite having agreed some of the fundamentals, including fee, duration and hours, regretfully it is my view that trust between the parties has broken down,” Mr Bakhurst said in a note to RTÉ staff. “Public statements made without consultation appear to question the basis for the necessary restatement of fees paid for services for 2020 and 2021.”
The development brought an abrupt halt to carefully sequenced talks with Mr Tubridy that brought him to the cusp of a new deal to return to his morning radio show. Mr Bakhurst said on RTÉ's Prime Time that the plan was originally to have Mr Tubridy return on September 4th on a salary of €170,000.
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In his Wednesday statement Mr Tubridy insisted his “actual income” from RTÉ in 2020 and 2021 matched what the broadcaster originally published in its top-earner tables.
These were the very figures revised in June when the RTÉ board learned the station had effectively paid him a total of €325,000 more than was publicly disclosed for the years between 2017-2022. Mr Tubridy’s Wednesday statement failed to acknowledge money he received from the station via its UK “barter account”.
RTÉ sought clarity from Mr Tubridy on the meaning of this statement, which deeply annoyed senior management figures who believed they had provided him with a route back to presenting his show.
In the two separate interviews on RTÉ on Thursday Mr Bakhurst said that it was important that Mr Tubridy “took responsibility”.
“I don’t actually feel that Ryan was best served by the people around him,” he said on the Nine O’Clock news. “RTÉ has taken responsibility… but… it was important that Ryan himself owned a certain amount of responsibility for this. 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.”
Two sources close to RTÉ said Mr Tubridy had stood by the statement. However, a source close to Mr Tubridy said the statement had been clarified following a request from RTÉ and that the presenter had indicated he was not questioning the reinstatement of the overall figures for 2020 and 2021. He argued that parts of the Grant Thornton reports published on Wednesday supported the stance set out in his statement that day.
The statement is understood to have caused deep annoyance within RTÉ, and appeared fundamental to an 11th-hour breakdown in negotiations.
Mr Bakhurst told the Nine O’Clock news it was a factor but not the only one. He also said that he had spoken to the broadcaster earlier on Thursday, and Mr Tubridy was “shocked and disappointed” by the director general’s decision to end talks.
One source close to RTÉ said the broadcaster “wanted him back on the air”, adding: “All he had to do was show contrition and accept the Grant Thornton reports”.
Meanwhile, a source close to Mr Tubridy said it was an understatement to say his side was “surprised and disappointed”.
Mr Bakhurst’s statement said that he had 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”.
In a statement the RTÉ board noted the decision, and said it “supports the ongoing work of the director general and his interim leadership team. The board fully accepts the findings of both Grant Thornton reports.”
Minister for Arts and Media Catherine Martin noted the decision, and said it was “an operational and editorial decision for the director general to make”.
