The publication of the second Grant Thornton investigation into RTÉ’s misreporting of payments to Ryan Tubridy represents the most significant development in the story since Oireachtas committee hearings on the issue concluded in early July. It addresses some, but not all, of the questions that were not answered then and it begins the next chapter of (hopefully) restructuring and renewal.
It remains to be seen what impact this new report has on important issues such as the reform of corporate culture at the broadcaster or future funding arrangements for public service media. But what might it mean for the future of Ryan Tubridy, the central figure around whom the entire controversy has swirled since the whole affair exploded on to pages and screens in mid-June?
In the weeks since Tubridy told the Public Accounts Committee that: “I am here to talk to you today with a view to go straight back into the job I love,” the presenter has had occasional discussions with new director general Kevin Bakhurst about whether that wish might be fulfilled. Last weekend, Bakhurst indicated that those discussions are now at a crucial stage and may be concluded by the end of this week.
Tubridy’s case is helped by this report, which causes him no further damage and shifts the blame further towards RTÉ's own glaring internal shortcomings. The testimony he and his agent Noel Kelly gave to the committees about his earnings from 2017 to 2019 has been vindicated by Grant Thornton.
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RTÉ did indeed alter the record of those payments, for reasons which have yet to be satisfactorily explained. Kelly did object to that adjustment on behalf of his client, but it went ahead regardless. Yes, Tubridy failed to correct the public record when the figures were ultimately published, but that is something he has already acknowledged and apologised for. And it now seems less serious than the grave questions about standards of financial reporting and governance at RTÉ that the report raises.
When news of the 2017-2019 payments broke alongside the disclosure of the arrangements with Renault between 2020 and 2022, the two issues were understandably conflated in media reports which frequently cited an overall figure of €345,000 that now seems simplistic and unfair.
In retrospect, it is hard to see how RTÉ could have done differently at the time, and Grant Thornton describes the decision to reveal the earlier figures at that stage as “reasonable”, but it did mean that the scale of overpayments was significantly overstated to the presenter’s detriment. However, the assertion by Tubridy and Kelly that they were unaware that the later Renault payments actually came from RTÉ still raises eyebrows, and the presenter has certainly not emerged unscathed.
In fact, the whole Renault affair, with its barter accounts and anonymised invoices, is a cloud that still hangs over his reputation.
So what now? Some Montrose observers suggest Tubridy might be required to undertake a penitential spell on a late-night book show or similar before being returned to the comfort of prime time broadcasting.
However, any prolonged period in the wilderness seems unlikely, to judge by Bakhurst’s own recent comments, which suggest there’s little appetite for either cancelling the presenter’s contract or exiling him to radio Siberia. Instead, he has signalled that the current round of discussions is all about getting him back into studio for his 9am Radio One slot.
Bakhurst has probably known for weeks what was likely to be in the Grant Thornton report, and he will also have had a good idea of when it was to be released. And he has been taking the emotional temperature of staff on the issue since the start of July. So the fact that negotiations are set to come to a head this week suggests that the plan is to return him to “the job he loves”.
It will be intriguing to see what sort of agreement is reached. RTÉ's problems go well beyond presenters’ pay, but that has become a symbol of ineffectual management and internal dysfunction. The whole scandal, and the outrageous attempts to mislead the public that have been revealed, mean a tougher, more frugal, more transparent approach is essential if Bakhurst is to have any chance of persuading the public and the Government that true reform is under way.
Tubridy has said in the past that he has been happy throughout his career to leave all the messy negotiations to his agent. In his appearances before the committees, he always deferred to Kelly when any contract details or financial matters came up.
Now he has to sit down with Bakhurst (who has said he will not deal with Kelly) for the toughest contract negotiation of his career, in which the director general holds all the cards and will surely be intent on driving a hard bargain to set an example for those who follow.
