RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393826#Comment_121393826

It's Renaults money really.

They got credit AFAIK.

The question worth asking is how did Renault make the decision to pay RT 25k per appearance gig. Katie Taylor would be 10k give or take.

The reality is they didn't. RTE spent another roughly 70k on the 3 gigs that went ahead because they wanted to attach the late late show

So they got RT for 5k effectively. When Renault pulled out, it was up to RTE to replace them with another sponsor. Which they didn't.

It would have cost the licence payer even more money if those last 6 gigs went ahead.

That deal basically sums up RTE.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394669#Comment_121394669

And it was all done this way to funnel money to Tubridy under the radar without declaring it as part of his income, even though it was in reality monies coming from RTE to him.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393812#Comment_121393812

Bland sorry - that’s why some people lather it in cheese

PeadarCo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393826#Comment_121393826

Ye but that was only ever in context of keeping his job. Maybe I'm very cynical but it's something I never put weight in. The minute he lost his job the was never going to repay the 150k or depending on his exact financial circumstances may not even be in a position to repay it.

If he really didn't want the Renault money he'd never have agreed to it in the first place never mind the messy payment structure that was around it. He earned that 150k fair and square. Fortunately for him the RTE team negotiating completely underestimated their bargaining power. The fact that he was prepared to work for RTE at effectively 20k a year tells you a lot about how badly RTE messed up.

In a perfect world without consequences I wouldn't have RT pay the 150k back I'd have the people on the RTE side who agreed to pay RT the money and covered it up pay it back. It was their job to run RTE and remember they knew there was a lot of public scrutiny around presenter salaries. With this context I find it hard to understand their decisions as it should have been obvious the firestorm that would occur if this stuff ever became public.

At this stage the 150k is gone and people responsible are RTE management. And personally the 150k is small change when you look at the amounts RTE have arguably overpaid people like RT, Joe Duffy etc over the years. You are probably taking about amounts in the millions of money wasted by RTE due to their incompetence negotiating with high profile staff.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394684#Comment_121394684

Looks that way.

With the important caveat, that it looks like it was money owed to him anyway in the shape of a loyalty bonus and contract exit bonus.

Senior hurling? Sounds more like premier league footballer contract.

artvanderlay

RTE are just like the civil service, the HSE etc. They don't want any meaningful change because a lot of people there are on the gravy train for life: why would they mess with that? Occasionally there will be some scandal that requires a public charade promising change, but it all goes back to how it was before eventually; they'll just hide things better. Tubridy is just the poster-boy for this RTE scandal, but you can be sure there are a lot of people behind him making lots of money for nothing and we'll never even know their names. Tubs is also an old-fashioned Fianna Failer; as corrupt as Charlie, Albert and Bertie and probably views it like he's entitled to everything he's gotten. It's in his DNA.

With regards to Tubs star power, hilarious that he was paid so much to keep him in Ireland because we didn't want him poached abroad. Now he has gone, on **** money, in a **** timeslot on a **** radio station. He didn't exactly get Graham Norton's chatshow, or Newsnight, did he? Or a prime time slot on radio 1 or 2! They'll keep trying to spin it like he's "made it" but you can't bullshit a bullshitter Ryan. No UK agents trying to snap him up either. Still needs his Del Boy agent to keep the hustle going.

LambshankRedemption

Plus he has to work six days a week now.

Yeah, on the gravy train are all the different producers. Im referring more so to radio as thats what I consume most. On top of Joe Duffy and his 75 minute program with it's producer, there is Ray and his 2 hour program and a different producer. We complain about Joe and Ray only working 6 and 12 hours a week respectively, but if they both have "their own" producer for their show, then thats two other people who only work 6 and 12 hours a week. Then they also have their own researchers.

Agent Coulson

It's still only about 20 hours work a week he will be working and he is getting close to €100k a year for it.

He will have researchers and producers doing the hard graft behind the scenes for minimum/average wage

When you think about it the money paid to radio presenters is nuts.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394920#Comment_121394920

The researchers work through the day gathering material for Joe, but he saunters in around 11.30 or later and tears up a lot of their efforts and typically imposes a changed agenda. Sometimes he comes back to the material, but at his own convenience.

I don’t care for Fungus, I saw him being rude to a lady with extra needs, but he did actually work hard, saw him in action. These people often do a lot of stuff behind the scenes. The “Talent” have lots of time to spare and get paid a very high wage for very low working hours. Some of the better talent would be doing a hell of a lot of homework, especially likes of Pat Kenny, Marian Funucane, Gaybo, the ones who come across as professional.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394935#Comment_121394935

Yeah, but 6 days a week means no weekends away for a while for poor Ryan.

I better go get a tissue to mop up this mess my bleeding heart is making.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394920#Comment_121394920

Are you really that naive to think a radio programme producer only works for the length of the programme?

humberklog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394962#Comment_121394962

I'd imagine the Saturday show is pre-recorded, no?

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394984#Comment_121394984

I don't know.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394983#Comment_121394983

As I said, I listen to the radio a lot, and every programme its a different producer. So, maybe not naïve, just referring to what I have experienced.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394990#Comment_121394990

Listening to the radio a lot doesn't give you any information about how many hours a week a producer works.

AndyBoBandy

I'm wondering is all the gushing love that Tubs has received from the likes of Chris Evans and Piers Morgan simply because they have absolutely no clue about what goes on in Ireland & Irish broadcasting other than what they hear from their friends/colleagues/Tubs 'friends' in the business... or during the brief moments in time where they'd be in Ireland to sell/promote something, and as they waft through RTÉ they get told nothing other than how amazeballs Tubs is... Do you reckon Evans or Morgan have actually listened to a Tubridy radio show? or watched a LLS that they weren't involved in? Wasn't Morgan on the LLS a few years ago? Does anyone even reckon he sat around the green room and watched the show before he went on? or after his segment was finished?

I mean if you were from another country and had never seen Tubridy on the TV, or heard him on the radio, yet someone (who likes Tubs) described his role to you;

• "Has hosted the longest running TV chat show in the world for the last 14 years"
• "Anchors the main radio slot in Irish radio for the last number of years"
• "Is a 'legend' of Irish broadcasting.....

You'd be expecting another Wogan or Johnny Carson to appear and effortlessly move through the show with a sort of suave/sophisticated grace that only the top top presenters have... but instead you'd be seeing a twiggy Tubbers appear with about as much charisma & likability as a mouldy biscuit.

We've watched a few LLS's over the last few weeks (thankfully we were away for the country music one), and although the format is still sh1t, and the guests are still sh1t, there's a certain likability about Patrick Kielty. He seems real, and genuine (despite having to work with utter scut). Anytime over the last 14 years I had the misfortune to put on the LLS with Tubridy at the helm, the overriding thought that always entered my mind was "I'd love to punch this pr1ck in the mouth" (and I'm not a violent person). Everything about him seemed fake. The man never had to work for anything in his life.

The theory mentioned above about his move to Virgin being to both cut some costs at the groups Irish stations, and also to grow their listenership and thus inflate any potential sale price seems very plausible... (and if it comes to be, and Tubs was only a pawn in a larger game to suit the Murdochs, I won't be losing much sleep over it...)

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121080213#Comment_121080213

but of course you guys would still be jeering at him if he gets anything short of a prime time tv chat show

Hey I'm the new Nostradamus!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394858#Comment_121394858

He didn't exactly get Graham Norton's chatshow, or Newsnight, did he? Or a prime time slot on radio 1 or 2! 

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394998#Comment_121394998

OK, enlighten us.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121395017#Comment_121395017

I have no idea how many hours a week a radio producer works.

However, I didn't claim they only worked the length of the programme they produced.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394961#Comment_121394961

Pat Kenny does come a knowledgeable on the topics he's discussing, but on certain topics he has his views and you can tell.

Finucane, especially towards the end of her career was absolutely phoning it in - her prep work for her show seemed to consist of reading the mornings papers on air.

Don't remember gaybos radio show well enough to comment on his prep work.

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121393826#Comment_121393826

RT told the PAC he would pay it back because it was the right answer to give.

There was no other answer available to someone looking to salvage a radio career here.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394984#Comment_121394984

It will be syndicated so I imagine it will be- hence unlikely he’ll be working weekends but that’s just an educated guess

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121395029#Comment_121395029

Jesus, thats a bit of a come down after your "Are you really so naive, blah blah blah".

This is RTE we are talking about, not a 'real' company. So it's not naivete its experience with the organisation. I fully expect the producer to work maybe an hour or two before and after a program but thats it. I don't think they are churning away a 40 hour week.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394180#Comment_121394180

Ouch!!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121395044#Comment_121395044

Yes latterly Marian had very serious smoking related health issues which no doubt sapped her energy & led to her premature death.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121395065#Comment_121395065

I think he actually said he was still willing to do the work.

From his point of view, it was money he was entitled to anyway it was just being funnelled to him in the most RTE way possible.

Also he did agree to pay it back when offered the 2 year contract, this seemed to backed by the majority in the PAC.

This contract was pulled by RTE.

Again From his point of view.

He owned the money, he offered to do the work and he offered to pay it back.

TBH I can't see him giving it back now.

The reality is there is one woman who knows everything and for the life of me I can't understand why RT didn't throw her under the bus, unfortunately she has long Covid or something.

podgeandrodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394731#Comment_121394731

"He earned that 150k fair and square"

He didn't though, even by his own admission at the PAC, if he didn't end up doing the work for Renault he would pay it back.

He hasn't done the work, and it's RTE (our) money

podgeandrodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121395065#Comment_121395065

100%. Reading back on my list it looked like I was saying he did something because he likes to do the right thing. Nope. He knew it was the ONLY right thing to do at the time. But has swiftly forgotten!

PeadarCo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121395429#Comment_121395429

He did earn it fair and square.He didn't do the work because Renault never asked him to. That was the whole purpose of the guarantee if Renault pulled out he got the money regardless.

It's was an extraordinary decision by RTE to guarantee the entire Renault deal and not just 150k but it's just symptomatic of how RTE negotiated with their presenters.

tom23

Do you reckon it’s possible for the greatest to get a knighthood? what do you think? fingers crossed!