Ryan Tubridy is reportedly in the final stages of securing his own radio show in the UK.
According to Extra, the popular presenter is expected to announce a new deal with Virgin Radio.
The station is owned by Wireless Group, which is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
The company owns Talk TV, Talk Radio, and Virgin Radio, along with several radio stations in Ireland – including Dublin’s FM104 and Q102.
Ryan previously hinted at a potential role with Wireless Group, as he met with Talk TV host Piers Morgan and Virgin Radio DJ Chris Evans during a trip to London in September.
Amid reports of Ryan’s new radio role, BoyleSports has suspended betting on his next career move.
The bookmaker had made Tubridy a 5/1 shot to join the London-based radio station, after his relationship with RTÉ broke down in wake of the payment scandal that saw him taken off the air.
The former Late Late Show presenter jetted into London this week amid fervent speculation he is on the verge of landing the gig with Virgin, and an announcement on the new venture is now said to be imminent.
Meanwhile, the odds suggest Brendan Courtney and Oliver Callan are in a hot race to be named as the permanent replacement for Tubridy on RTÉ Radio One, just as the national broadcaster revealed a jump in listenership for the 9am show.
Fashion stylist Brendan Courtney admitted he threw his hat in the ring by approaching bosses within two weeks of Tubridy’s departure and he is now 2/1 joint favourite alongside comedian Oliver Callan, who will also be boosted by the hike in listeners having filled the gap on a regular basis.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “There is quite a buzz around London this week as Tubs subs RTÉ for Virgin Radio, but his former slot remains up for grabs and the odds suggest it’s a face-off between Brendan Courtney and Oliver Callan.”
Ryan was pulled from RTÉ’s airwaves back in June, after it was revealed his earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
Negotiations over his RTÉ radio contract had been put on hold amid the ongoing payment scandal, but RTÉ boss Kevin Bakhurst then confirmed that they had resumed in August.
While Ryan’s return to RTÉ seemed promising, Mr Bakhurst ceased negotiations with the presenter after he released a statement addressing the second Grant Thornton report.
Speaking on Prime Time, Mr Bakhurst confirmed they were “very close” to an agreement before Ryan’s statement.
The RTÉ boss said: “I don’t actually feel Ryan was best served by the people around him who advised him on making that statement.”
“I felt we were in a good place. We had a core agreement for Ryan to come back and the statement issued, which, you know, once again, questioned the newly stated salaries, which are correct.
“I just think for the sake of rebuilding trust, which is my focus with the organisation, we can’t afford to be questioning the facts that are out there.”
He also confirmed a salary of €170,000 had been agreed, and that Ryan was supposed to return to his radio show on September 4th.
Kevin continued: “I think part of the discussion throughout with me and Ryan Tubridy have been about the need to take responsibility on both sides, and RTE has taken responsibility, has born the vast majority of responsibility, for what went wrong here.”
“But I also felt it was important that Ryan himself owned a certain amount of responsibility for this, and we had some discussions about that, and that was important.”
“I think the statement yesterday muddied the waters somewhat, and I think it’s really important that Grant Thronton and the RTE board restated the earnings correctly for those years, and I don’t think it helps to undermine that. We need to all accept the restated earnings, that is the fact of it.”
Ryan’s statement addressing the second Grant Thornton report read: “I welcome the findings of the Grant Thornton Report, published today. 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 RTE proposed to account for this decision.”
“It is also clear that my actual income from RTE in 2020 and 2021 matches what was originally published as my earnings for those years and RTE has not yet published its top ten earner details for 2022.”
He added: “I repeat my offer to publish the details of any future RTE contract. I am committed to re-establishing the confidence and trust of my colleagues and listeners, and I hope that any fair assessment of the findings of today’s report will help in this regard.”
“Finally, I want to acknowledge the huge support that I have received in recent weeks from people across the country; many cards and letters, greetings on the street and words of support from people I bumped into meant an awful lot to me and I appreciate them all very much.”
The next day, RTÉ boss Kevin Bakhurst released a statement confirming Ryan wouldn’t be returning to his radio role.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
“Public statements made without consultation appear to question the basis for the necessary restatement of fees paid for services for 2020 and 2021.”
