RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

Farcical stuff.

Great post. I can't believe RT thought that initial statement was a good idea. Who advised him on that one, if anyone? The arrogance was dripping from it and he clearly had no respect for his colleagues. He had to row back fairly lively with a heavy dollop of humility. I am glad he won't be back on our TV/Radio anytime soon.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, more is going to come out. Its funny paying a rank average presenter under the table is going to bring down the house of cards. It all makes sense now why so many ruled themselves out of the LLS race.

The RTE 'talent' fees statements should be linked to the number of hours they're broadcasting. I'll accept there is some prep time involved but really none of those salaries are for a standard year's work with a generous 30 days holidays. In the same way that the teachers have to teach for xxx days/hours a year, we should know the required outputs are for the Rte 'talent' otherwise we are comparing apples with oranges.

I’ve criticised his abilities as well. Said it many times, that I think he’s poor. I have also said this affair seems to most about “if it’s there to be had, I’m having it.” A trait that grates me.

If I found out that Gay had been earning 1m pounds from RTE I wouldn't have begrudged it to him. Gay was a brilliant broadcaster on both TV and radio. Crucially he could have earned times that in bigger english speaking countries he was that good. There is no presenter in RTE who could command greater earnings anywhere else. It truly is a gravy train for mediocrity.

The fact that Forbes saw it as ok for RTE to bankroll Tubridy to an ever greater amount than was officially declared for years is disgusting. Even though the sponsor paid him for one year they got an offset from RTE possibly to the point of it being cost neutral through bartering. He may not have done anything illegal but he has shown the smarts of dumbo to take the extra money. He is finished. He should never have been able to start.

Someone mentioned the late Marion Finucane. She was decent but hugely overpaid for the little she did which from my recollection was weekend work.

Huh? You quoting the correct post?

Maybe I have it all wrong - was the money taxed ? Was it just an overpayment by payroll that was in error? Or were people aware of the error and said nothing? Because that would be fraudulent, embezzlement I believe it is termed. Maybe I'm wrong - what would happen to average joe if they did the same?

I think the whole point is that it was deliberately routed via a third party to avoid it appearing in the payroll. Out of sight, out of mind kinda thing

Maybe wait for all the facts to surface. But to date, nothing has come remote to implying anyone should be jailed.

...and sometimes the man on boards.ie is worse.. both have the right to an opinion, and an equal vote.

At this time there's nothing to suggest illegal conduct in a criminal sense on behalf of Tubridy ... However money was moved around so that the amount RTE declared to the government as Tubridy's pay was understated. That's one for the Government \ PAC to investigate to see if any semi state rules or procurement processes were broken.

Now, it wouldn't surprise me if in all this complex chicanery, somebody somewhere hasn't got everything 100% legit when it comes to tax or corporate reporting. Which is why it is so important for this to be fully and independently investigated. Revenue should be all over this.

Maybe the money was moved in a legal manner. That’s pretty much all that matters as regards offences/garda/revenue etc

Money laundering is illegal, though? Money obtained illegally.

Completely agree about Gay Byrne. There are people who just begrudge anyone on TV or radio a high salary simply because they aren't earning it themselves. I fully acknowledge that in an industry where real talent and an ability to draw viewers/listeners commands a premium rate, a presenter is entitled to a salary which reflects this. Gay Byrne, no different to Terry Wogan who earned a fortune in the UK, could command that premium because he was an exceptional broadcaster who could handle subject matter of all sorts with ease and crucially would bring a loyal audience with him.

Apart from one or two exceptions, there is really no one currently working in RTE who fits that bill. In fact, the argument could even be made, in a small pool like Ireland with only a small number of competitors to the public state broadcaster, none of whom are in a position to match RTE's inflated salaries, is there ANY necessity to pay an RTE presenter anything more than say.........100k pa. I really don't think there is. No one is going to convince me, that had RTE had a serious DG over the last decade, who told Ryan Tubridy in no uncertain terms, that his ridiculous salary was going to be cut in half, that he would then walk off the campus at Montrose and into Virgin media or to the UK for a commensurate salary and conditions. Absolutely no chance.

Many here have asked, "Why are they paying Tubs (and other mediocre individuals who don't warrant it) such vast salaries?" Well I think the answer is simply that RTE is a public sector family business. Everyone at the top is very pally wally, and why would you insult an old friend by denying them an extra €75k pa when you can just dip into the tax payer coffers and give it to them. RTE is not being run like Ryanair to tight margins and with real rigor on expenditure. It's being run like a slush fund by incompetent and feckless individuals who think they can simply shake down the government for a bailout when they invariably can't balance the books

TBH, I think this debacle is the greatest thing to happen for the licence fee payer in years. We might now actually see something approaching reform.