RTÉ’s new Director General Kevin Bakhurst has revealed they’ve resumed negotiations with Ryan Tubridy, hinting at his possible return to the airwaves.
The presenter’s contract negotiations were halted earlier this year when the RTÉ payments scandal came to light.
Speaking to the Irish Times, Mr Bakhurst also claimed Ryan is currently being paid less than what the presenter sought after being taken off air in June.
The RTÉ boss confirmed that they received an invoice from Ryan’s representatives in mid-July, but the figure paid to him was less than that.
He told the newspaper: “We didn’t reach an agreement so we’re paying him what we think is reasonable on an interim basis.”
Ryan is currently being paid on a radio contract only, after he stepped down from hosting The Late Late Show in May.
The news comes after RTÉ recently confirmed Ryan had met with Kevin Bakhurst, amid ongoing speculation regarding his future with the broadcaster.
In a statement on July 20th, RTÉ said: “RTÉ Director-General, Kevin Bakhurst met with Ryan Tubridy in person this week for a one-to-one meeting.
“They had a good, open, and constructive conversation and will meet again in a few weeks. RTÉ has no further comment.”
The presenter’s future with RTÉ remains up in the air amid the ongoing payments scandal.
On March 16th, the 50-year-old announced his shock decision to leave the broadcaster’s flagship programme, The Late Late Show, after 14 years at the helm.
Just weeks after he hosted his final episode of the late night talk show on May 26, RTÉ was plunged into chaos when it was revealed that Ryan’s earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
RTÉ has taken full responsibility for the misstatement of Ryan’s fees, but the presenter has not yet returned to work – and it is not yet known if he ever will.
Questions have been raised as to whether the impending controversy influenced his decision to step away from The Late Late Show.
However, Ryan has adamantly maintained that the two events were entirely uncorrelated, and that he made his decision to step down as host as early as last summer – which his fellow RTÉ star Maia Dunphy later backed up.
Last month, Ryan and his agent Noel Kelly appeared before two Oireachtas Committees – the Public Accounts Committee and the Media Committee, to share their version of events.
When asked whether he’s still in contract with RTÉ during the hearing, the 50-year-old admitted it was his “understanding [that] I’m still in contract. My aim and hope is to go back to work.”
But elsewhere during the hearing, Ryan made a shocking statement, admitting he “could be out of a job by Friday”.
RTÉ’s interim Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch previously revealed that Ryan’s TV and radio contract had concluded, and that negotiations over his radio contract had been put on hold amid the ongoing scandal.
The 50-year-old has hosted an hour-long weekday slot titled The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 since September 2015; however, he has been off air since news of the payments scandal broke.
During a previous interview on Today FM’s The Last Word with Matt Cooper, Mr Bakhurst said he would need to “properly consider” Ryan’s return to the airwaves.
“It’s a big decision for us, and for Ryan, obviously,” he said. “And you know, I’ve said I need to talk to some members of staff about. I need to talk to the new leadership team.”
“It’s a significant decision and I won’t be taking it on my own, but it’ll be my responsibility in the end.”
When asked what Ryan had done wrong, Mr Bakhurst said: “It’s there for everyone to see that what’s happened and how his reputation has been undermined by this.”
“I don’t wanna get into directly criticising him myself because I know him well. I like him, he’s a very bright guy, he’s an extremely good broadcaster.”
“And I don’t like seeing any individuals reputation the way his has been over the last few weeks and I feel for him personally. I hope given a bit of time, you know, wherever he is, he’ll restart his career.”
In a recent survey, 66% of Goss.ie readers revealed that they want Ryan to return to the airwaves.
BoyleSports later quoted the odds of his return to RTÉ as 1/2.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: “Our punters are observing Kevin Bakhurst closely and see his refusal to rule anything out as a clear sign Tubridy is still part of the bigger picture at RTÉ.”
“The odds have taken a complete U-turn as a result so we’re now odds-on about Tubs keeping his job.”
