Profit at Ryan Tubridy firm plummeted last year

Profits at the media firm owned by one of RTÉ's top earner, Ryan Tubridy, last year plummeted from over €250,000 to just €9,504.

The cash balance at The Late Late Show host's company, Tuttle Productions Limited, also decreased from €292,855 to €80,286; according to accounts just filed to the Companies Registration Office (CRO).

Mr Tubridy (42) is RTE’s second highest-paid star after Ray D’Arcy, earning €495,000 from the state broadcaster in 2012. This represented a substantial pay cut from his previous salary of €723,000 in 2011.

Revenue at Tuttle Productions Limited would also include income from the presenter’s stints covering for both Graham Norton and Chris Evans at BBC Radio 2.

There was speculation this week that Mr Tubridy is poised to return to RTE Radio 1 – the station he left for 2FM in 2010 – to replace John Murray, whose show was discontinued last month.

Accounts for the financial year ending August 31st 2014 show that accumulated profits at Tuttle Productions Limited decreased to €9,504 from €254,051 during the preceding period.

The firm’s cash balance also decreased from €292,855 to €80,286 during the last financial year. Its debtors also fell from €20,440 in 2013 to €8,365 last year.

The accounts do not provide details of any dividends paid to Mr Tubridy, the firm’s sole shareholder, during the financial year.

The latest JNLR figures revealed an increase in listenership of 12,000 to 189,000 for the Ryan Tubridy Show on 2FM, while The Late Late Show is among the most-watched programmes on Irish television.