Oliver Callan has broken his silence on RTÉ’s decision to axe Ryan Tubridy’s Radio One show, following the payments scandal.
On Thursday evening, RTÉ’s new Director General Kevin Bakhurst confirmed negotiations between Ryan and the broadcaster had broken down – and that there are currently “no plans” for his return.
The Ryan Tubridy Show has since been renamed The Nine O’Clock Show and on Monday morning, stand-in host Oliver addressed Ryan’s shock exit from the station.
He said: “Things sound a little different today. Not because we’re at the start of some grand new era but rather it is firmly the end of one, which is unfortunate and disappointing as well.”
“Ryan’s voice at this hour of the day was pretty iconic and it was a reassuring sound and always a comfort of hearing his voice of a Monday.”
The comedian said “there is a sense of wrong” that Ryan won’t be returning to the show.
He continued: “I know his fans out there this morning are downhearted. The whole blooming controversy, I think, is a bit of a lesson as well on graciously and humbly accepting second chances when they’re being offered to you.”
Oliver said of Ryan: “He’s not a hated figure, he’s not cancelled, he has opportunities aplenty, we sincerely wish him well.”
“He will be back, because there’s a home always for Ryan’s experience and his mischief and that Jiminy Cricket personality, jumped up on jelly babies or swearing at Fanta bottles, doing dodgy Jimmy Stewart impressions, and terrible karaoke at times.”
“He had a brilliant career here and was a hugely encouraging figure for those of us who passed through his Late Late show living room over the years.”
“We’re sorry to see him go, just as we’re sorry and sad to see the harm that has been done to RTE by all of the scandals – the payments, the golden handshakes, the musical, every last flip flop.”
“The world revolves on and I am one of the caretakers who will be in and out of here for the next while, however long that while may be. We’re off now into the unknown. The period of the in between begins,” he added.
It comes after Kevin Bakhurst revealed Ryan was “shocked and disappointed” after he was told he would not be returning to his Radio 1 show.
Speaking on RTÉ One, Mr Bakhurst said he had a “difficult conversation” with Ryan shortly before the news broke.
He said: “I would say he was shocked and disappointed. It was a difficult conversation.”
While there are currently “no plans” for Ryan to return to RTÉ, Mr Bakhurst said “the door is not shut forever”.
“Now is not the right time for Ryan to come back,” he explained. “We need to focus on rebuilding trust with the audience.”
Ryan was pulled from the airwaves back in June, after it was revealed his earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
Negotiations over his radio contract had been put on hold amid the ongoing scandal, but Mr Bakhurst recently confirmed that they had resumed.
The 50-year-old 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.
While Ryan’s return to RTÉ seemed promising, Mr Bakhurst ceased negotiations with the presenter this week after he released a statement addressing the second Grant Thornton report.
Speaking on Prime Time on Thursday night, Mr Bakhurst confirmed they were “very close” to an agreement before Ryan’s statement regarding the second Grant Thornton report.
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 4.
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 on Wednesday 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.”
