Ryan Tubridy will not be returning to the RTÉ airwaves, following a break down of talks with the national broadcaster.
This was confirmed by RTÉ this evening, after talks between them and Tubridy appeared to break down at the eleventh hour.
Former Late Late Show host Tubridy had been off air, following revelations over understated payments made to the presenter from RTÉ of €120,000 between 2017 and 2019 earlier this Summer.
All initial signs had appeared to indicate that Ryan Tubridy was to make a return to the airwaves, earning a salary of less than €200,000.
“no plans for Ryan to return”
However, a statement released by new RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst, has confirmed that Ryan Tubridy will not be making a comeback anytime soon.
“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”, Bakhurst said. “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”.
While admitting that the “fundamentals” for a new deal had been agreed, including fee, duration and hours, Bakhurst has said that talks “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″, he said.
Bakhurst added, “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”.
“restoring trust”
Elsewhere, Kevin Bakhurst reiterated his determination to restore the trust and faith in the national broadcaster, which would have been lost by this “shameful period in our history”.
“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”, Bakhurst said in his statement.
“To achieve this, and fully draw a line between our recent past and present, we must acknowledge and accept the issues that have arisen”.
He added, “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”.
This statement was supported by RTÉ who commented, “The Board supports the ongoing work of the Director General and his interim leadership team”.
“The Board fully accepts the findings of both Grant Thornton reports. We will be making no further comment on this matter”.
