RTÉ is facing a crisis in its relations with the Government after it declared misleading pay for star presenter Ryan Tubridy for years, undermining its campaign for more public funding.
In a disclosure that raised questions about the salaries of other top-10 presenters, RTÉ revealed Mr Tubridy received €345,000 in hidden payments between 2017 and the start of this year.
That money was never disclosed in annual pay statements that suggested Mr Tubridy, the station’s highest earner, took a bigger pay cut than was actually the case as the broadcaster set out to reduce costs in 2020.
“We are well aware that this is a serious breach of trust with the public,” said RTÉ chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh.
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Minister for Media Catherine Martin said she was “deeply concerned” at the revelations from RTÉ. She and officials from her department will meet Ms Ní Raghallaigh on Monday.
The implications for RTÉ go beyond immediate embarrassment. Several high-ranking Government figures said that the controversy effectively quashed any chances of an increase in funding for the broadcaster, which has been warning of a grave financial strain if it does not receive more money.
“That’s the end of it forever,” said one senior figure.
Mr Tubridy, who recently stepped down as presenter of The Late Late Show, RTÉ's flagship programme, was unapologetic, saying “errors” in the reporting of RTÉ accounts were a matter for the broadcaster itself. He will not present his morning radio show on Friday.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed to be at the centre of this story but unfortunately, I can’t shed any light on why RTÉ treated these payments in the way that they did nor can I answer for their mistakes in this regard,” he said in a statement.
His agent, NK Management, also said it was an RTÉ matter. “There is no issue whatsoever in relation to the payments being properly and lawfully due and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Ryan Tubridy or NK Management,” the agent said.
“These issues are solely concerned with RTÉ's internal accounting treatment and public declarations in respect of such lawful payments.”
Correcting the public record, RTÉ said Mr Tubridy received a total of €3.15 million between 2017 and 2022. His annual pay in each of those years was always more than €500,000, in contrast to a succession of RTÉ statements suggesting his salary was less than that amount.
RTÉ said it asked accountants Grant Thornton to examine how Mr Tubridy’s remuneration was understated in public declarations by €120,000 in the contract period for 2017 to 2019.
The later misstatements followed a 2020 deal in which RTÉ guaranteed additional pay of €75,000 per year that was intended to be funded by Renault Ireland, sponsor of The Late Late Show.
The sponsor paid the money the first year for “personal appearances” but RTÉ paid it in the next two years when the deal was not renewed.
Grant Thornton has also been tasked with carrying out a review to “independently validate” the findings of an internal assessment this week which found the full cost to RTÉ of other top-10 presenters “has been correctly reported”.
Political reaction was swift and sharp in the wake of the concealed payments controversy. Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the revelations as “very serious” and “concerning”.
Brian Stanley, the Sinn Féin chairman of the powerful Dáil Public Accounts Committee, said the panel was seeking “an immediate explanation” from RTÉ. Senior station executives are likely to be called before the committee.
“The PAC is demanding the full details surrounding the circumstances that led to this understatement by RTÉ in its accounts,” Mr Stanley said.
“What has happened is utterly unacceptable and yet another serious breach of trust between our national broadcaster and the public. There must be accountability.”
Other politicians echoed the call for accountability.
“They’re very good at demanding it from others,” said a senior political source.
Fianna Fáil senator Malcolm Byrne, Independent TD Mattie McGrath and Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy all added their voices to demands for accountability from the broadcaster.
“Dee Forbes as the outgoing director general of RTÉ needs to make a statement on this controversy,” Mr Byrne said.
“Either she knew about the payments and in so doing, misled the Oireachtas and the public, or she ought to have known and if she didn’t, that raises serious questions for how RTÉ is managed.”
As director general, Ms Forbes is RTÉ editor-in-chief. She is due to stand down from that role shortly but is understood to be on leave currently.
In an email to staff at the station on Thursday afternoon, RTÉ said the director of audience, channels and marketing Adrian Lynch had been appointed deputy director general.
A spokesman for RTÉ said that one of Mr Lynch’s responsibilities was the duty of editor-in-chief. He declined to answer questions about Ms Forbes. She did not reply to a request for comment.
