RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

There's a good word that describes him and those like him: "midwit". He's slightly smarter than average but not by much. That would easily describe a lot of the media too. The "intellectual" angle seems to be one that Tubridy and others cultivate in that they like to be thought of as such but there's no real evidence for it. His books are hardly great works. Looking at the front cover of "The Irish are coming" book shows a boat with a pictures of a pile of famous Irish people with Terry Wogan at the bow and Tubridy at the stern. Tubridy is very much a village celebrity. Those others generally became successes outside of the Dublin media village and outside of RTE. I think the book was focused on the UK and Tubridy may have been trying to break into the UK media scene. He's no Terry Wogan, Eamon Andrews or Graham Norton.

Tubridy seems to have succeeded with pushing that image purely based on a very effective PR machine rather than any great intellectual works. The ease with which he could be replaced by Callanan or Courtney shows how deeply RTE bought into the idea that he is indispensable.

Regards...jmcc

The licence fee problem could end up taking out Tubridy and Bakhurst if it develops into a general protest. The latest figures for the first week of August show the licence fee sales are down almost 40%. (Ironically, the percenage of the audience of the Gerry Ryan show that Tubridy lost when RTE installed him there.)

Regards...jmcc

Also, from http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ryan-now-isolated-still-refuses-pay-cut-1665163.html (8/3/09)

Gerry was something of a bizarre character, and Tubbers threw a hissy fit when a journalist colleague attempted to interview him as he ambled into the building at around twenty to nine.

"RTE management has taken the unprecedented step of rubbishing one of its prized stars in public, describing broadcaster Gerry Ryan as “bombastic, loud-mouthed and opinionated”.

A management source declared he was now “just acting the maggot”.

But yesterday, an unfazed Ryan laughed off these criticisms when we interviewed him at the scene of a criminal attack on his 23-year-old daughter Lottie’s car in Dublin city centre.

Ryan’s refusal to accept any cut in his 558,000 pay leaves him now totally isolated, following yesterday’s announcement that Ryan Tubridy had caved in to pressure and agreed to a cut in his 346,000 pay.

Tubridy and Ryan had been the last two RTE stars refusing to make any concession on pay.

Meanwhile, Ryan yesterday found himself caught up in a drama in Dublin’s city centre involving an attack on his daughter’s car.

Obviously concerned for his daughter’s welfare following the incident, which saw the driver-side window of her parked Toyota Yaris car smashed and Sat Nav equipment stolen on Foley Street, the 2FM star busily made calls on his Blackberry to a windscreen replacement company, while chatting with gardai from nearby Store Street station.

Approached by the Sunday Independent for comment shortly after finishing up his phone calls, Ryan still managed to raise a smile, despite the theft from his daughter’s car.

Clearly relieved that she at least was safe and well, Ryan shrugged and said: “Somebody just smashed the driver’s window.”

But he would not be drawn on the controversy about his salary.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” he said, before adding, “this [incident] is to do with my daughter. This is my family. Don’t you understand that? Do you not have a family? If you follow me, I’ll call the guards!”

As gardai left the scene on Foley Street, the broadcaster even managed to crack a joke, albeit one that RTE management might not find particularly amusing.

Getting into his daughter’s vandalised Yaris to drive it back to the family’s Clontarf home, the broadcaster quipped cheekily to onlookers, saying: “Look lads, it’s not a Ferrari!”

RTE Director General Cathal Goan is currently struggling to deliver immediate savings of 41m in the face of a 15 per cent fall in the State broadcaster’s revenues arising from a massive drop in its advertising income.

RTE is currently forecasting a shortfall of 68m for 2009 as a consequence of teh fall off.

“We built up people like Gerry Ryan to have enormous egos,” said an RTE management source.

"They become their public personas. We built him up to be bombastic, loud-mouthed and opinionated – because that’s what sells him to our listeners.

“What he is doing now is just acting the maggot.”

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Tubridy said that while he had not been in a position up until now to take a reduction in his pay, his “legal situation” had changed in recent days.

The pressure on Tubridy to accept a reduction in his pay reached fever pitch last Friday morning, when a reporter from RTE’s Morning Ireland programme arrived into his radio studio in an attempt to interview him on the matter as he prepared to go on air.

Mr Tubridy is understood to have been taken completely by surprise by reporter Eleanor Burnhill’s approach to him just after 8.35am.

Sources at the station said that Mr Tubridy politely refused to answer Ms Burnhill’s questions, while staff on his show ushered her from the studio.

It is understood, however, that the presenter was appalled to find himself confronted while he was engaged in preparations for his show, which was due to go on air within the following 25 minutes.

It is understood the presenter lodged an official complaint, which RTE Director General Cathal Goan will consider."

Is Rónan still throwing his weight around Ashbourne Golf Club?

20 to 21 is minimum holidays in Ireland.

Most well paid people are getting and additional 20 days.

In many companies this exclude Chirstmas Week, so in many cases the average is 25 to 26 days, along with an increment every 2nd year of 1.

Your talking between 40 - 45 days for an executive in RTÉ or any company for that matter.

Salaries general assume your going to return to the office after your break/holiday, you don't generally have to work up holidays.

Kevin B would be entitled to 20 to 25 for this year.

Fcuk off Leo. Must be hard to see your taxpayer sponsored mouthpiece struggling because of their own greed.

I couldn't care less if rte closed in the morning, i havent watched their news since the days of George Lee pulling himself apart over the covid death numbers.

Be a shame if people started calling Varakar "Leo the Loser". :) It could be worse. He might want Tubridy back on Radio 1. :)

Regards...jmcc

There's an ad running on RTE rdaio this past fortnight at least. It concerns some English fella called Jack Whitehall and has a cringy sting about Ron Weasley. Promotion is for some gig organised by Aiken Promotions, he's on for one night in October. Ad is heard frequently, could be 20 times a day easily.

Ceist: How on earth would the returns from this gig pay for all this advertising? And yer man and his entourage and Aiken Promotions.

I'm guessing this ad might be paid through the revealed barter system? So RTE could be giving all these often prime slots to Aiken Promotions are no or very reduced costs by way of barter.

But just what would Aiken Promotions be bartering back to RTE in return?????

Anyone any idea?

I think you are doing a disservice to all other village celebrities out there, village idiot is more apt.

I am not sure he would be comfortable reading the morning papers. Many of the headlines will be nothing burger related for months to come.

"In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Tubridy said that while he had not been in a position up until now to take a reduction in his pay, his “legal situation” had changed in recent days."

Shortly after that, Tubs was announced as the new host of TLLS. I wonder what legal situation had changed. Meanwhile, by 2012 his salary had risen to astronomical levels at €752,950 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rtes-ryan-tubridy-got-100k-loyalty-bonus-k3gs5sjb5

After a quick search https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41169727.html

There is some very creative pay cut dodging going on at rte for years going by this.

If we could see how much he actually got paid from 2008 - 2023 per year and in total including any bonuses or hidden payments and were to compare it to his initial 2008 salary with regular pay increases that would have been implemented and without any cuts, I wonder which one would be higher. I do not believe he has ever taken a pay cut there.

They’re still untouchable.

There is literally nothing happening and they are still playing wait and see tactics.

The boss is on holidays ffs. It’s hilarious.

This event should take down the whole organisation or at least wake the people of Ireland up to the abuse (and theft) of their money.

I’m interested to see how it plays out but I expect NOTHING to change fundamentally.

They may throw 1 or 2 people under the bus (could even be RT) to stem the tide of hate/frustration/disgust but nothing will change.

If we want change then the people need to pull back all financial support by not paying their licence fee to that disgusting waste of money.

Any politician coming out in support of RTE and suggesting ‘there will be change’ has lost sight of what the people want and is only interested in their own gain.

I hope the public take the time out of their day to let these politicians know how they feel.

Been thinking this over the past while or so

Most people live life within the means of their pay - the more they have the more they spend, the lower paid spend more frugally, the higher paid don't think so much about what things cost

I see Tubs in a predicament where he is used to getting 500k per year and spending accordingly, if that money is cut off, and zero replacing it, his savings will quickly decline - he needs that yearly pay to maintain his life style - this is why he is desperate to get back on the RTE gravy train (because no one else will take him), not because he loves working there (as he says) but because he can't live without that income (seen it many times with other RTE "stars")

He's got probably 30 years ahead of him. maybe more - will all the savings/investments he may have maintain his standard of living, I think not. A million or two in the bank is not much especially considering 5% deflation every year