No RTÉ Comeback For Tubridy As Talks Fall Through

RTÉ have confirmed that Ryan Tubridy will not return to their airwaves, as talks have fallen through.

This was confirmed by the national broadcaster, and their Director General Kevin Bakhurst, as talks between themselves and Tubridy fell through at the last minute. It had been anticipated that Tubridy would be making a comeback, on a salary of under €200,000.

However, Mr Bakhurst has since released a statement, confirming that this will no longer be the case, despite agreeing on "fundamentals" with Tubridy, including fee, duration and hours.

Ryan Tubridy had been off air, following the payments scandal which broke earlier this Summer, which saw RTÉ admitting to underdeclared payments made to the presenter of  €345,000 from 2017 to 2022.

In a statement, Mr Bakhurst confirmed that talks over a possible return to the studios for Tubridy have fallen by the wayside.

“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”. 

“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”. 

The DG also hopes to restore the faith and the reputation of the national broadcaster, which has suffered huge damage in recent months.

His statement read, “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”. 

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”. 

Supporting Bakhurst's statement, RTÉ added, "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”.