Ryan Tubridy being paid less than he was looking for while off-air, says Bakhurst

Kenneth Fox

RTÉ has refused to pay Ryan Tubridy the sums he was seeking while off-air following the controversy over secret payments the broadcaster made to him, the company’s director general, Kevin Bakhurst, has said.

While Tubridy is being paid while he is off-air, Mr Bakhurst told The Irish Times that the amount involved is less than what was sought in an invoice sent to the station for the presenter’s services in mid-July.

Tubridy has been off-air since a furore over €225,000 in previously undisclosed payments funded by RTÉ emerged and then enveloped the broadcaster.

It prompted several members of the station’s executive board to stand down, the resignation of Mr Bakhurst’s predecessor, Dee Forbes, and put RTÉ under unprecedented political pressure.

Mr Bakhurst said that Tubridy is currently being paid for a radio-only contract, having stepped down from hosting the Late Late Show earlier this year.

“We didn’t reach an agreement, so we’re paying him what we think is reasonable on an interim basis,” he said.

He indicated that initial talks last month with Tubridy about his potential return to the airwaves were inconclusive, but they have since resumed.

He added that there was “an urgency around reaching a resolution now” and that he expected one would be arrived at in “the next week or two”.

“I had an initial discussion with him, we both went away, wanted time to think about it and I felt that we needed further discussions rather than jumping to conclusions,” Mr Bakhurst said.

He indicated that the current talks are focused on a variety of matters, including pay.

When asked if Tubridy had sought more money than RTÉ was willing to pay, Mr Bakhurst said: “Well, this is always the case in negotiations, alright. We’re not offering him more than he wants.”