RTÉ’s Director General Kevin Bakhurst has confirmed there are “no plans” for Ryan Tubridy to return to his presenting role in a shock statement.
Speaking this evening, Kevin said: “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.”
“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.
“As I set about a programme of recovery from this crisis, it is imperative that all parties are aligned in one key respect: the misstatement of fees should never have happened; and the correct re-statement of those fees is accepted by all,” he continued.
“I have been clear since I took up the role of Director-General of RTÉ that I am absolutely committed to restoring trust in this organisation following a shameful period in our history.
“To achieve this, and fully draw a line between our recent past and present, we must acknowledge and accept the issues that have arisen.
“Who knows what the future holds, but for now I am concluding the negotiation with Ryan, and focusing on delivering a range of important changes to the operation and culture of this organisation as part of the essential work to restore trust in RTÉ.”
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 RTÉ payments scandal broke.
Just weeks after he hosted his final episode of The Late Late Show on May 26, the state broadcaster 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 his future at the station has remained up in the air over the past few months amid contract negotiations.
The presenter’s contract negotiations were halted earlier this year when the RTÉ payments scandal came to light.
However, RTÉ’s new Director General Kevin Bakhurst recently confirmed they had resumed negotiations with Ryan, hinting at his possible return to the airwaves.
Earlier this week, Grant Thornton’s second report on the ongoing RTÉ payments scandal revealed Ryan and his agent Noel Kelly had no involvement in the public understatement of the presenter’s salary between the years 2017 and 2019.
It also confirmed that the popular presenter waived a €120,000 exit fee, which he was entitled to at the end of his contract.
In a statement at the time, Ryan revealed his hopes to return to RTÉ, writing: “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 RTÉ has not yet published its top ten earner details for 2022.”
“I repeat my offer to publish the details of any future RTÉ 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,” Ryan continued.
“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.”
RTÉ was plunged into chaos earlier this summer when it was revealed that Ryan’s earnings were publicly understated by €345,000 over the last six years.
The issue was identified during a routine audit of RTÉ’s 2022 accounts, prompting an independent review of the matter by auditing organisation Grant Thornton.
The RTÉ Board issued an apology over the error, and later Ryan also apologised for not questioning RTÉ over his published earnings.
The scandal resulted in the resignation of a number of RTÉ’s key staff members – including former Director General Dee Forbes and former Director of Strategy Rory Coveney.
RTÉ’s former Commercial Director Geraldine O’Leary later announced her early retirement.
