Tubridy concedes it is ‘touch and go’ whether he keeps RTÉ radio job
By David Young and Grainne Ni Aodha, PA
Ryan Tubridy has expressed a desire to get back on the radio as soon as possible, but conceded it is “touch and go” whether he keeps his job.
The former Late Late Show host has been off-air from his weekday morning radio programme on RTÉ Radio One since the revelations around misreported payments broke last month.
Appearing before two parliamentary committees on Tuesday, he spoke of the uncertainty around his future.
“I could be out of a job on Friday or I could be back on the radio on Monday,” he said.
The presenter made clear he wanted to return to the airwaves.
“I don’t have any doubt, I want to go back to work on the radio as soon as possible,” he said.
“I don’t say that with any arrogance. I just say it as an expressed desire: it’s what I do, it’s what I know, and I want to get back to my team and to the listeners and with my job because it’s all I’ve got.”
On Monday, new RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst urged Tubridy to be fully transparent when he faced the parliamentary committees as he made it clear his future at the broadcaster remained undecided.
“As far as Ryan goes, we’ll have to see how the week goes and what comes out of this week, and we’ll have to take a decision on that soon for everyone’s sake and for Ryan’s sake,” he said.
He added: “I think it’s really important we see what comes out in the committees.
“I want to see maximum transparency from Ryan and his agent in that committee, and I want to see maximum transparency from RTÉ, and we’ll be putting more documents out to ensure that happens.
“And I want honesty and I want transparency, and then we’ll make a judgment.”
Asked at the Public Accounts Committee how he could rebuild trust, Tubridy replied: “A lot of the trust was taken from me.”
In terms of restoring trust in RTÉ, Tubridy said the organisation was off to a “good start” with the appointment of Mr Bakhurst.
He added: “I think that hopefully people will see what I’ve said today and will hear what I’m saying today, and they will realise that a lot of what’s happened over the last few weeks, I’ve been dragged into a mess not of my own making.”
Tubridy offered to publish the terms of his contract on an annual basis going forward as part of the “cathartic” process going on within RTE.
“In the event that I do keep my job, and it’s touch and go from my understanding of it at the moment, I’d be happy to suggest that in the future we’d have a situation where you would publish my contract on an annual basis, with a few obvious redactions for personnel or what have you, with the money and the salary and the earnings there straight up,” he said.
“If RTÉ are going through a cathartic week, let this be part of it. I will offer that.
“I have nothing to hide. Put the contract out, put it online, tell everyone how much, don’t wait for three years then have this codology that can happen all this time later.”
