RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929643#Comment_120929643

Not sure if I agree with you on SO'R, he had been on the Lunchtime news and The Week In Politics for a good 2 decades. But certainly one of the lesser big name people in RTÉ, and sure didn't his wife present the Wimbledon coverage for RTÉ when the covered it.

Thinks about it more ... your right, sorry!

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929225#Comment_120929225

Ha, what a joke - who's paying you? This listener anyway actually is more inclined to leave Callan on. Whereas before I'd automatically turn your hero off.

But of course, as you know, it'll make little difference who you put in there.

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929143#Comment_120929143

That will be the excuse they use and I expected that line.

They'll soon see how many listeners they lose if they do bring him back.

alzer100

From what I have read in the Sun, RTE are really giving the impression that Tubridy and Duffy have close to diplomatic immunity in that organisation. According to RTE, the 9am slot is SO important that the listenership fallout from Tubridy's absense would cascade into the rest of the afternoon and would result in a hemorrhaging of Duffy's listenership figures. WTF?

I understand that the slot advertising revenue has been explained to me before on this thread and in which I am satisfied. It leaves me to conclude that if the Sun's reporting on this is correct, that RTE are attempting to shovel s**t down the public's throats. What is even more remarkable is that the only issue that is gating Tubridy's return to his 9am slot (again, and this according to the Sun) is Backhurst's refusal to negotiate with NK.

This really is typical f*****g Ireland. I really hope that if all this comes to pass, that the public don't swallow it and there is some form of backlash.

I’d leave it up to the experts in RTE to work out what’s best in terms of stickiness across the day based on scheduling decisions. This is like when the online experts became the component authority on all matters relating to electricity supply and rising gas prices.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929299#Comment_120929299

I think if Tubs comes back his ratings will be way less than Callan. The mask has slipped. His smarm and fakeness is now toxic to many people. Nobody likes a liar.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929864#Comment_120929864

You mean the people who put Tubs on to 2FM for 5 years?

The people who gave us the RTÉ Player ?

The people who gave us the Toy Show the Musical ?

The people who watch over 2fm and RTÉ2 hemorrhaging audiences, with no clear idea of what should be done with either ?

The people who didn't know their CFO was getting a redundancy package ?

Yeah they are doing a "expert" job, I wonder why you feel the need to back them with no actual argument to support them?

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929864#Comment_120929864

If RTE had experts they would not be in the mess they are in now.

alzer100

As RTE still cannot stand on its own and still has to run to the government cap in hand. I have yet to be convinced that the people involved with scheduling etc. are experts.

Karppi

If Ryan comes back and a substantial number of people continue not to pay their licence fee in protest, I'd like to offer for consideration the phrase "Bakhurst Backlash" as a label for this uprising.

jmcc

It is odd to see a subscription model being suggested for RTE. The problem with RTE radio, and most radio channels, are that they are background noise with fewer active listeners than in the past.

A subscription model requires some method of protecting the transmission. Without that, everyone could access it. The Conditional Access model (that's a term that experts use, in case Phibes doesn't recognise it) is broken from the start because the equipment required to receive the transmissions (an ordinary radio) is freely available and has no way of restricting the transmission being received by non-subscribers. Without that crucial element of being able to control who can access the programme, a subscription model isn't a viable subscription model.

With a viable subscription model, RTE personalities like Tubridy may not be worth the subscription. At the moment, the audience figures are based on a methodology similar to that used for opinion polls. With the rise of services like Spotify, radio may no longer be as popular as it was in the 1960s. However, RTE seems to be stuck promoting the poorly talented and massively overpaid despite the radio market having multiple broadcasters with many of these being commercial operators that are at a financial disadvantage due to RTE's licence fee and greed for advertising.

A subscription model that could restrict who could receive the wibbling of Tubridy et al would also provide accurate data on listenership. If the advertisers found out that the real audience figures were lower than expected, they might flip-flop on their RTE advertising budgets.

Wonder how Tubridy's negotiations in London with Radio Norwich went?

Regards...jmcc

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929626#Comment_120929626

thats more like it...when i drove a taxi last in 1999/2000 the plate owner had a beautiful mercedes e class,i got asked one day to do a tour, pick up city centre hotel,quick tour of the boyne valley and drop to the airport for £150 so accounting for infation thats the proper price....again on the taxis rte back then used to use a certain taxi co(which i am not going to name!) knew some of the drivers and according to them the account work was the best,easiest money ever,never a question on the fare,was just paid,so the wastage has been going on forever...as was said probably since 1960...

tayto lover

The Timeline regarding the RTE controversy.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41171797.html

Tubridy announce that he was stepping down from the LLS on the 16th March. No wonder.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929705#Comment_120929705

Funnily enough, this is one of the things a barter account would be used for.

Example: ATN would appoint RTÉ as their commercial partner. For let’s say €XX,000 worth of radio advertising at rate card* rate, RTE might get X number of tickets for staff, competitions, etc., and they might get access to the bands for interviews over the weekend, and in some cases might even get broadcast rights, or as you heard today on-air mentions/discussions of the festival,

That’s exactly what barter accounts were intended to do - allow for non-cash exchanges of products and services. We’ve seen how they were abused.

I didn’t hear the LD show today but would assume it’s part of some agreement. If she did a solo run yes that would be against the rules so to speak, but like with Marty Morrisey’s car some staff ignore the rules or don’t get things approved.

Staff members promoting things on air for a fee or indeed even without a fee is what is known as “advertising leakage” - i.e. it’s free advertising for the brand or product and no money into RTÉ. You’ll see on the radio thread countless mentions of Joseph Duffy promoting his own books for example, which should not have been permitted. And Mr. Tubridy’s practice of mentioning free gifts he’s received from Company ABCDE is another form of this, captured on radio in a cumulative list.

The former DG promised to tackle this but there’s been no evidence she did.

Though I didn’t hear it, I’d suspect all of what you heard today was above board. But it is RTÉ after all so who knows…..

*no-one pays rate card by the way. Ads are sold in bulk and heavily discounted from rate card.

edit: typo

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931183#Comment_120931183

Just assuming this is how the above scenario might be framed for LD/ATN, the use of barter accounts in this context surely results in the loss of revenue to the state. ATN as a private enterprise should ordinarily be issuing an invoice to RTE for staff tickets, access to bands and broadcast rights. VAT would be due on this at 23% I would think and the income calculated in profit/ loss and tax payable. Likewise RTE should be invoicing ATN normally for services rendered, advertising and staff time and there would be VAT at 23% on this. Is this practice used as tax avoidance?

northknife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929849#Comment_120929849

People actually still buy/read that rag?

Maybe they could have Tubridy and Duffy writing for them to finally finish them off.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931261#Comment_120931261

I can’t comment on the loss of revenue to the state part as I’m not an accountant or forensic accountant, but it’s not just RTÉ who would do this type of thing. Barter accounts are common across media owners, as was said during and around the Oireachtas Committee hearings.

I’m not defending RTE’s practices here btw, just giving my opinion and providing a possible answer to the question you asked.

The VAT issue/question you’ve asked is one that should probably have been teased out further in those hearings, or by journalists since this story broke. Or if there’s any accountants on here perhaps they can explain?

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931104#Comment_120931104

They were wrong to suspend Forbes on June 21. It was a clear attempt to bury the truth.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929849#Comment_120929849

What you mean is you have read what NKM supplied to the Sun that got printed.

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120925371#Comment_120925371

The one thing that John Q Taxpayer cannot, I say cannot, let happen is let RTE get Govt. money in lieu of the licence fee.

Fcukkers would go to town on it.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931360#Comment_120931360

They were wrong to accept her resignation on the 26th of June. Suspended she still would have been answerable to the Oireachtas, as she would still have been DG.

I am not really sure how much more power the Oireachtas has to compel her to attend as DG versus as an ordinary citizen.

Add it to the standing charge on every electricity bill, Brendan. No avoidance, no court for non payment, guaranteed income that means the service it for for purpose. Nice and clean and away from general taxation.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931573#Comment_120931573

There doesn't seem to be much control over how these 'fcukkers' spend public money, but John Q Taxpayer doesn't seem to get too worked up about it

https://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/67851-hse-back-in-the-spotlight-over-budget-overruns

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931591#Comment_120931591

Suspension or not, she’d have resigned before the hearings. She was not going in as part of RTÉ, they much we’ve established. I won’t speculate as to which side wanted that more than the other and who that suited - you can make your own mind up on that.

She still however can be compelled to appear, when she recovers from her illness, from the Oireachtas website:

Who may be compelled?

4. In general, any person in the State, any Irish citizen outside the State, or any person in an Irish registered vessel or aircraft or on an Irish diplomatic mission outside the State may be compelled.3

5. Exceptions exist in certain circumstances for the President, an officer of the President, Judges , the Master of the High Court, the Attorney General, an officer of the Attorney General, the DPP, an officer of the DPP and persons entitled to diplomatic immunity.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931591#Comment_120931591

Yes true, I meant that they suspended her first and then accepted resignation. I heard Martin was furious that they didn't inform her but I am not so sure - Martin has shown zero leadership here.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931104#Comment_120931104

That’s just a coincidence. NK only told Ryan Tubridy about the issue in late May after all.

I personally don’t believe that, but that’s what he said.

Clay Shaw

There is no doubt in my mind RT is coming back on the radio in September.

KB was a yes man/company man installed to maintain balance by restoring RT to duty.

If RT was fired/let go this would be a disastrous precedent case for the Golden Circle.

It could hang them all out to dry in the future potentially.

The longitudinal nature of this RT investigation has also helped cool down the scandal with our hectic news cycle full of distraction.

Also Grant Horton’s report will douse out some of the remaining flames on the RT scandal complimented with the full force of selected media outlets to push a scripted narrative.

Within 18/24 months or so RT will be back on our screens I predict in some form.

There is nothing in this post I agree with but unfortunately this is the way.

This is the Irish way and the institution of RTE must be protected and all who sail in her especially on the bridge not the lower decks I dare say.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931592#Comment_120931592

True and RTÉ can go on their jollies with no oversight and no one complains about RTÉ because we have forgotten that we pay for the broadcaster.

skimpydoo

KB says TV licence players have a right to feel let down, and we are still being let down as he told us a decision on RT would be made by the end of the month. When will we hear about RT's future?

TV licence fee revenue is down more than €2.5M in the last month.

https://twitter.com/virginmedianews/status/1686727298018648064?s=46&t=M4qtvpV2VjLkqdr4rX071g

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931592#Comment_120931592

Grand, as along as there is a root & branch overhaul of RTE finances. And that these supports are also spread proportionately across other broadcast media. Along with an end to agents and self employed contractor presenters. Full time employment at reasonable rates for a full years work with statutory holidays only.