Former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy continues to be paid by RTÉ, according to the national broadcaster’s interim deputy director-general.
Mr Tubridy continued to appear on a weekday radio programme after stepping down from the flagship television show earlier this year, but was taken off air for “editorial reasons” in the wake of a scandal involving misstated payments to the star presenter.
Appearing before the Oireachtas media committee, RTÉ boss Adrian Lynch said: “There were negotiations going on about a radio contract [for Tubridy], those negotiations – as a result of all of this – were suspended.
“So currently, as we said, we are still paying Ryan Tubridy and there are certain elements of the contract that are in dispute with the agent.”
Mr Lynch also confirmed Mr Tubridy will not be on the radio programme next week.
The media committee grilled current and former members of the broadcaster’s executive over the nature of pay negotiations for the organisation’s highest-paid member.
Breda O’Keeffe, the former chief financial officer at RTÉ, was asked by Brendan Griffin whether Mr Tubridy refused to take a pay cut.
“During my negotiations up to March 2020, they (Tubridy and agent) didn’t refuse to take a cut, it was the level of cut that we disagreed on. So there was a cut,” she said.
She added: “When I left RTÉ, the level of fees that we were discussing were lower than he was earning under his contract. So he wasn’t rejecting (a cut).”
Ms O’Keeffe also said said there was no consideration of the broadcaster underwriting a commercial agreement involving the star presenter and Renault before she left in early 2020.
Ms O’Keeffe said the first she heard of RTÉ’s decision to underwrite the deal – a move that resulted in the broadcaster paying €150,000 to Tubridy when Renault did not renew the arrangement in 2021 and 2022 – was through media reports in recent weeks.
“My recollection is that Mr Tubridy’s agent requested that the commercial agreement be underwritten by RTÉ and this was refused,” she told the Media Committee.
“This continued to be my position and, as far as I was aware, that of the director-general, the head of content and RTÉ solicitor up to the date of my departure from RTE in March 2020.
“I was not aware any guarantee had issued until I heard about it last week in the media reports.”
She added: “When I left in March 2020, an RTÉ guarantee on the proposed Renault agreement was not on offer, as far as I was aware.”
Senator Timmy Dooley questioned the RTÉ representatives about a document provided to the committee on the three-way deal between the broadcaster, Renault and Tubridy.
An arrangement between the three parties
The deal covers an arrangement between the three parties from October 2020 and December 31st, 2021.
Mr Dooley said it was signed by Renault on April 15th, 2021, by someone on behalf of Mr Tubridy on April 21st, 2023, and not signed by RTÉ at all.
Mr Lynch replied: “I can shed no light on that.”
RTÉ’s commercial director Geraldine O’Leary said she “should have signed it” on behalf of the national broadcaster.
Asked by Mr Dooley why a figure of €75,000 is not mentioned in the document, Ms O’Leary said it was because the credit note had already been raised.
“The dates also are quite confusing because obviously everything ran on,” she added.
Mr Lynch said the three-way deal is actually dependent on a verbal agreement.
Responding to John Brady, Mr Lynch said: “What actually underwrites the entire contract is a verbal agreement, as you’ll notice, Deputy, when you read that contract, there’s no clause for underwriting.
“There’s no clause for 75,000 (euro). It is literally an event sponsorship agreement.
“So this entire contract is dependent on a verbal agreement that was given on May 7th, 2020 by the director-general to (Tubridy’s agent) Noel Kelly.
“Furthermore, we contacted the agent in March of 2023 around clarification around the invoices, and we received confirmation what the invoices were, their numbers, and the fact that these invoices were sent based on a verbal agreement between the agent and the director-general.”
Ms O’Keeffe said she handed over “all elements” of the Mr Tubridy deal in a brief to the current CFO Richard Collins.
“All elements of the Ryan Tubridy deal were discussed, not only with Mr Collins, but also with everyone else involved, so everyone was aware.”
Mr Collins then told Mr Brady that he did not specifically remember discussing the underwriting of the deal, but he was “sure it was”.
Alan Dillon TD asked Mr Collins whether the initial request from Mr Tubridy’s agent to “put the taxpayer on the hook” through a guarantee was flatly rejected.
The current chief financial officer replied: “That’s correct, yes.”
Asked by Mr Dillon how the commercial agreement subsequently became to be underwritten by RTÉ, the interim deputy director-general said this was under legal privilege.
Mr Lynch said: “So just to explain that in terms of why legal privilege is very important to our RTÉ, is because, obviously, RTÉ has a significant editorial output and we receive legal advice in relation to that and legal privilege is very important for that and its very important to the independence of RTÉ.”
He said it was confirmed in an email from Mr Kelly in March 2023 that the agreement was underwritten between him and former director-general Dee Forbes.
Mr Dillon asked if a unilateral decision had been made after then-chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe rejected the commercial arrangement.
Mr Lynch said: “Correct.”
Ms O’Keeffe added: “I was not alone in the rejection of the guarantee at that stage.
“When I left the organisation, nobody was in favour of guaranteeing underwriting the overall contract.”
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
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