RTÉ director general holds meeting with Ryan Tubridy

Jonathan McCambridge, PA

RTÉ’s new director general Kevin Bakhurst has held a face-to-face meeting with star presenter Ryan Tubridy.

In a statement, the national broadcaster said the two men “had a good, open, and constructive conversation”.

RTÉ has been engulfed in turmoil since it admitted it had underdeclared the former Late Late Show host’s earnings by €345,000 from 2017 to 2022.

The figure included three €75,000 annual payments received by Tubridy for proposed public appearances for Renault, as part of a tripartite agreement involving the car compnay, RTÉ and the presenter.

Tubridy has been off-air from his weekday radio show since the scandal broke and his future at the broadcaster remains in serious doubt.

The furore has since widened amid further disclosures about RTÉ’s internal financial, accounting and governance practices and its expenditure on corporate hospitality for advertising clients.

Minister for the Media Catherine Martin has announced a number of probes into RTÉ's governance.

An RTÉ statement on Thursday evening said: “RTÉ director general, Kevin Bakhurst met with Ryan Tubridy in person this week for a one-to-one meeting.

“They had a good, open, and constructive conversation and will meet again in a few weeks.

“RTÉ has no further comment.”

In his first major act as RTÉ boss last week, Mr Bakhurst stood down the broadcaster’s executive board and replaced it with a temporary interim leadership team.

Mr Bakhurst had said at the weekend he wanted a decision on Tubridy’s future before the end of July.

He had also indicated that he would speak to Tubridy, but not to his agent Noel Kelly.

RTÉ bosses, as well as Tubridy and his agent, have appeared before the two Oireachtas committees to answer questions over the controversy.

During his evidence, Tubridy said he had been “publicly cancelled” and it was “touch-and-go” whether he would be allowed to return to his weekly radio programme.

He said he wants to return to RTÉ Radio as soon as possible “because it’s all I’ve got”.

“If I do go back to RTÉ, which I hope to, it’ll be a whole new world order,” Tubridy said.