RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

They took the parts of the Toy Show that wasn't its USP (toys) but music and variety and ran with that. Which is ten a penny.

It shows RTE don't understand what people like about their own shows.

Not sure that's fair. I don't enjoy it but they've positioned the Toy Show as "the event that starts Christmas" over the last decade. It was big but never that much of an event when I was growing up. They've marketed it brilliantly.

Be interesting to see the damage after this mess though.

On Tubridy, there is a lot of assumption here about his role is TSTM. His name wasn't attached in any way from the start. Why are people concocting theories about how he was involved?

Politically convenient for you to be able to slate one member and not see another members contribution.

Yeah there's been a clear shift to trying to make viral moments for social media etc, whether emotional misery porn or going for kids who'll be wacky or funny.

Half the conversations about toys turns into Tubridy just needling the kids into throwing stuff at him.

Don't get me wrong, I think Tubridy himself has done fairly well with the Toy Show. It's a very different kind of energy you need for it compared to the rest of the LLS and he's not afraid to make a tit of himself on it. But I don't know if kids get as much out of it compared to what most of us what have gotten out of it as kids, because there's definitely an intent to play up to social media and adults as much, if not more than kids.

Any news from the RTE car park this morning? Any new reg Toyotas parked where the 181D used to be parked? Do we have drone coverage of Montrosia?

When they say someone had a loan of a car for 5 years, you can be damn sure that this means the loan of 5 to 10 new cars over the period. That generally suits the car trader better as they sell the next to new cars on costing them small enough money overall.

Were the 9000 free tickets a last ditch attempt to make it appear successful?

I'm guessing we all did.

Folks while this is very entertaining and all, you have to realise that this whole thing is simply becuase govt needed RTE to go to bat for them in the last election.

Every govt for the last 50 years knew damn well that RTE is near the front of the taxpayer gravy train, only since the adoption of smartphones with 4G did its influence quickly wane. Still though its the easiest way for govt to indirectly to educate the public, hence the additional funding completely outdside of the licence fee.

Basically RTE can do what it wants with the cash, as long they make sure scandals aren't covered (until they have to be) and of course Sinn Fein is held off for as long as possible.

Bottom line, paying taxes leads to bigger govt, bigger welfare state more taxation and more propaganda. A bitter pill to swallow is that the deal between RTE and FFFG is far more corrupt and has done far more damage to democracy and the public coffers than NK Management, although I do enjoy watching the "talent" squirming on Oireachtas TV rather more than their sanctimonious acting on RTÉ.

Don't agree. They've done brilliantly with the toy show even though it's become something I don't enjoy. I'd bet the viewing figures are much higher now than ever before. It provides a great social media moment. "Christmas is starting, have the Christmas PJs on and gonna watch the Toy Show with the kids". Throw in the kids on the show that are exploited in a way to give that viral moment and it gets eaten up.

That doesn't translate to a Musical though because there isn't really the same sense of event in terms of the start of Christmas and there isn't the same tug on the heartstrings because it's a show. A musical about toys also would have flopped hard which shows the whole musical idea was a bad one in the first place.

He doesn't have a choice - If he doesn't, he's finished. He may try to get it done without cameras, but that won't go down much better than not showing up at all

I heard he was in Witness Protection?