New RTE chief ‘to contact Ryan Tubridy within a week to discuss future’
R
TE’s new director-general has mentioned he’ll contact star presenter Ryan Tubridy inside the subsequent week to debate his future with the broadcaster.
Kevin Bakhurst mentioned he wished to deal with Tubridy pretty however indicated that he wouldn’t communicate personally to his agent Noel Kelly.
Former Late Late Show host Tubridy has been off air from his weekday radio present since a funds scandal broke at RTE final month and his future on the broadcaster stays in critical doubt.
RTE has been engulfed in controversy because it admitted it had underdeclared Tubridy’s earnings by 345,000 euro (£295,000) from 2017 to 2022.
The determine contains three 75,000-euro annual funds obtained by Tubridy for proposed public appearances for Renault, as a part of a tripartite settlement involving the sponsor, RTE and the presenter.
The most controversial facet of the deal was RTE’s choice to underwrite the funds, which successfully resulted within the publicly funded broadcaster masking the prices.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Mr Bakhurst, who took up his position with the broadcaster on Monday, mentioned he wouldn’t personally communicate with Mr Kelly.
He mentioned: “We can’t stop someone using an agent at the right point, but I can choose with whom I have conversations.”
I’ve bought to guage various issues right here. One is the occasions of the previous few weeks and the occasions of the previous few days
Mr Bakhurst mentioned he is aware of from emails he has obtained from the general public that opinions are divided on bringing again Tubridy.
He added: “So these are the kinds of decisions you are never going to get 100% support for, but in the end I’ve got to make the right, fair and correct decision, I think, for audiences, for RTE and for Ryan, and I want to treat Ryan fairly.
“And I think, in the end, all I can do is make the decision and explain the basis we take that on.
“I think there’s a lot of factors here. Ryan is an immensely talented broadcaster and clearly much loved by huge parts of the audience.
“I’ve got to judge a number of things here. One is the events of the past few weeks and the events of the last few days.
“But also, as I said, I want to talk to staff and I’ve already started doing that, and people who work in radio, and have worked with Ryan and other people who work in radio, and the leadership team.”
The director-general instructed the paper he wished a choice on Tubridy’s future earlier than the top of July.
Tubridy and his agent appeared earlier than two Oireachtas committees on Tuesday the place the presenter mentioned he had been “publicly cancelled” and it was “touch and go” whether or not he could be allowed to return to his weekly radio programme.
He mentioned he needs to return to RTE Radio as quickly as doable “because it’s all I’ve got”.
“If I do go back to RTE, which I hope to, it’ll be a whole new world order,” Tubridy mentioned.