RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

I agree also with the view that Backhurst never wanted to bring Tubridy back.

I had a little giggle last night watching Prime Time when Sarah McInerney tried to hide her reaction to Backhurst saying all the "talent" are going to have to face a new reality when their next contract is being negotiated (or something to that effect).

To me, that's really what most (not all) of it is about. He's laying down a marker for future contract negations that will follow, saying to the McInerney's, O'Callaghan's, Duffy's, D'Arcy's etc. in the company, "If I fv(ked him off, I'll fv(k you off too - Get back in your boxes".

I've been impressed with Backhurst so far. Seems methodical and low key and didn't seem interested in issuing empty soundbites. Very deliberate and decisive when it came down to the decision. He is showing the authority that's needed to reform the station.

Anything to be said for emailing NKM and congratulating them on a job well done? Heres hoping the same media /PR experts are moving on to advising Duffy et al.

Yes I thought he gave Ryan every chance and was left with no option in the end.

No it's not background noise at all. If they want people to pay their licence then what Backhurst is doing is necessary. He needs to rid the station of complacency at board level and amongst the top presenters. Otherwise the public wont come on board.

I went on their Twitter account a few weeks back, for what’s supposed to be “Irelands Number 1 Talent Management Agency” you would think a platform used to freely promote their clients jaw dropping talent would be used in overdrive, but their account is basically inactive. I guess Noel and his office colleagues didn’t really need to try anymore as the cash cow that is RTE just kept giving irrespective of performance or ability.

Ironically their last tweet is from this time last year trying to flog a car of all things (a Dacia Duster at that) on one of those dodgy premium rate text competitions in the guise of helping charity. Again, self-awareness with this lot and their clients seem to be akin to a brick wall.

https://x.com/nkmanagement?s=21

Agree a certain amount what your saying, but the big picture is Rte is losing money by the day in licence fees and if the turd was brought back it would collapse Rte or have to bail them out, don’t rule out this was a political move behind the corridors of power, the government don’t want to have to bail out Rte and bringing back the turd on a big wage. This would be two fingers up the people paying the licence fee,

I've made this point before but even watching the LLS, Tubridy never came across as being in any way intelligent or that he was reacting to what the guests were saying. He did the exact same thing here. He didn’t react to the reality of the situation or realise that he was in a vulnerable position. He looked like a child following his mummy when he was attending the PAC hearing. Noel Kelly was the boss of him on that day. Can you imagine Gay Byrne behaving in the same way? Hopefully we'll never see or hear him on RTE again.

Very interesting takes on all this kerfuffle….

What I take from all this that the ‘nest of talent’ and its periphery basically thought they were untouchable and ran and used the station as a sort of ‘plaything’ to be used for their own enjoyment and aggrandisement.

The tree which harboured the nest has gotten a very severe shaking and certain ‘ birdies’ are now keeping the beaks shut and the heads down.

What caused all this reaction was the taxpayer finally growing a set and withholding serious moolah which they perceived was being spaffed agin’ the wall by these scones.

It was the worm turning what done it!!!!

This is delicious.The toyman must be absolutily livid spending serious dough on a team of legal and PR advisors that ultimately got him fired by releasing that dumb statement the other day

He was the pivot for a sustained national effort, his charisma and consistency was vital in keeping morale and solidarity high at a time when it was being tested. In another way he played a huge role in keeping the country stable and functioning during the recession.

During his time on the Late Late he very often went beyond what might be expected from a talk show host.

Not to insult any of his colleagues, but it's doubtful whether any of them will be able to do the same thing when we face future crises.

I think that poster is probably taking the piss. At least I hope so anyway for their sake 😆