RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

It has been nearly three months since Tubridy was removed from RTE radio. In all that time, there has been no serious job offer from other broadcasters. That damages the RTE argument about paying the "talent" highly so that they wouldn't be poached by other broadcasters. The numbers for the timeslot have not collapsed. People are discussing the PK LLS as if the whole Tubridy era did not exist.

Is Tubridy's career in mainstream Irish broadcasting over?

Regards...jmcc

I think that Bakhurst has mentioned salaries for the "talent" and that he will no longer speak to Kelly. RTE management has a few more appearances scheduled before PAC so there may be questions about cutting costs.

Regards...jmcc

He 100% got a golden parachute so. Nice work RTE.

The weirdly precocious kids were performing on the Toy Show.👯

It’s worse. Not only does this prove he was grossly overpaid, it shows there is no demand for his “talent” at any price.

Remember, he had agreed to a huge pay cut I.e. €170K so that was the benchmark for any prospective employer. But still nothing.

He was willing to pay back the 150K. That would have meant that his salary for the first year would have been around 20K. A nice starting point for negotiations with the other "talent". :)

Regards...jmcc

"A rising tide lifts all boats". It suited all at the top in RTE on 6 figure salaries for Tubridy to be on obscene money.

The minister responsible is supposed to appear before the PAC in October.

Regards...jmcc

As infuriating as Tubs ridiculous salary was over many years, especially at the 2011/2012 height of €700k, and how that relates to the obvious reality that there isn't and never was any competition out there that would pay a fraction of that figure for him, it's kind of beside the point.

RTE is a public sector closed shop. It's packed with lifers that would struggle to work anywhere else and a lot of them are on ridiculous salaries. Competition doesnt come into it because the licence fee and a culture of continual government blind eyeing and bailouts allowed RTE to operate outside the market. Tubridy's whole career is a case study in what happens when a golden circle emerges and they eventually gain de facto control of an organisation.

They give themselves jobs and keep outsiders outside. They live like kings and spend other people's money excessively. Ability, performance, results and all the metrics that matter in the real world are only partially relevant and can be worked around to the benefit of those within the circle.

As for a one off return for the Toy Show, even in the cloud cuckoo reality we seem to be existing in these days, that ones a stretch. Even Bakkhurst isn't that mad. You wouldn't ring up your ex wife after a divorce and see if she want's to go on a city break with you.

Nitrous oxide

But we know Ryan is the best man for the job, it'd certainly increase interest and it'd draw a line under all the bitterness. It makes huge sense. The only problem would be if Patrick thought he was being passed over. I hope Kevin is thinking along these lines, assuage public anger by giving Ryan a few months off, bring him back for the Toy Show as a gentle start, and then back on the radio in January.

Only yourself and Fionnan Sheehan are beating the Tubridy drum at this stage, there's as better chance of little green men invading the world and using the late late show to announce their takeover intentions than there is of Tubridy making a return.

It is notable that Tubridy hasn't made any media appearances in Ireland either on radio or TV since he was removed by RTE. Even the Sindo/Indo seems to have moved on to other things. No Irish broadcaster has made any firm job offer. The "Big Podcast" that his cousin mentioned never happened. Life in RTE seems to have moved on without him.

The last thing that RTE should be doing is trying to rehabilitate him by giving him another go at the toy show. And there are more PAC hearings coming up in October.

Regards...jmcc

Lord, don't suggest that out loud, NK will pick it up as a possible Game Show with Baz and Kathryn hosting 😳

The madness comes from one person, who you've got to admit has been resolute in their commitment to trolling the whole thread for months now, never swaying in the face of popular opinion or waning as the toyman disappears further out of sight and out of mind. Top effort.