RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

It's been mentioned by some about RTE presenters' value in terms of generating revenue through the popularity of their output. I wouldn't be dazzled by the numbers, or RTE's performance here.

Tubridy's LLS audiences and radio listenerships were falling, were they not? Do people watch/listen to Tubridy for Tubridy's mediocre presenting skills? Or do they listen or watch, purely out of habit? RTE have a certain amount of captive audience, driven largely by habit. With the exception of Sports and news, the viewership/listenership stats bear this out.

Their years of monopoly followed by state-sponship has created a lazy cabal of management with a bunker-mentality. They clearly measure their success against the likes of TV3, this low bar allows the cosseted management to fool themselves that they are performing well. While they wallow in the slurry pit of false-idol 'numbers', emerging periodically to suck on the Government tit, while squealing it's not enough.

It is clearly a fundamentally flawed public body, incapable of living up to it's charter, let alone obligations as a responsible employer. Or as a responsible user of public money.

None of the parties in this sorry debacle are blameless. They have all contributed to this mess. But sadly we've seen all this before in Irish life. This pull-the-ladder-up nonsense. Nothing ever changes.

Have to say… hats off. Incredibly funny on so many levels. I’d pay to see you in stand up reading out all of your posts. genuinely! 😁😁😁

RTÉ never really had a monopoly. Plenty of people in the boarder regions and the east coast and even as far as the midland had access to BBC 1, 2 and ITV since the 1960s, by the 1970s RTÉ itself had invested in cable through RTÉ relays, while by the 1980s MMDS and deflectors were being rolled out across the country. For many people living in 2 TV land by the 1990s it was a choice your parents made, by they end of the 90s almost everyone had some form of pay service, while those in 2 TV land were now in 4 TV land, while spillover had 9 channels by that point.

RTÉ always had a very weak monopoly.

Kelly has been gearing up to sue for a couple of weeks now. He has everything almost ready to go.

It would not surprise me in the least if rte got wind and have in part made their decision with that in mind. There were mentions in it that statement that could also be used against them. The grub and Tubs will be back once some sort of agreement has been put in place. I do not believe rte want sight nor sound of Kelly anymore, but this could be a way for him to keep his foot in the door. The other contracts would be negotiated differently without it.

There's not one iota of your post that I agree with. Tubridy is a narcissist and anything he did or said was for Tubridy's benefit and nothing else.

Be glorious to have all the RTE bigwigs back kneeling to kiss the bishops ring

"The DG will see you now Miss Byrne "

You're kinda getting into semantics there. My point was to highlight the privilege they had as a consequence being the national broadcaster. They had a domestic monopoly in the Irish market, without an Irish based competitor until TV3 launched back in the late 90s. But yeah I take your point.

And I well remember those days myself. We paid the 'pipe' as it was called and had Sky, RTE stations didn't really get a look-in apart from the obvious stuff.

He must be planning a Tell All book too.

As of now, it's nobody's business whether he pays it back, other than his own and Renault's.

There is no way he could replace Moncrieff.

What’s there to tell? He’s only met a handful of A list celebrities in his time there - aside from the misery slots that I refuse to joke about and through no fault of the “guests” but were tiresome in their weekly appearance, -the rest of the guests have come from the RTÉ canteen.

Gerry Ryan had a much more eventful existence and had the potential to be a best selling autobiography but even his effort made the bargain bins nearly before it even got published it was so bad.

I think Ryan might shelve the idea of a tell all book once he sees the low ball offers being made to him by the publishers - and do you really think RTÉ will allow him on to their shows to plug it? 😀

Growing up in middle class Dublin; getting a leg up into RTÉ; becoming the chosen one to take over from Kenny; my life as the Toyman;- nah not a hope .

A tell all book where he tells all of us that he is great and we are ungrateful peasants.

Hopefully RTE management will take care of business and not depend on whistleblowers.

Thats what they are being paid for isn't it ?

Theoretically yes but Tubridy would be nicely found out if he didn’t follow through on his promise at the Dail accounts committee to return the funds if the gigs didn’t go ahead. That was the only condition he made and since these gigs are absolutely not going to go ahead now, he’s nowhere to hide- I’d bet he was hoping a few simple meet and greets could have been organised so he could keep the dosh- it’s money for old rope to him but no way that’s happening now.

so he’s down the “Renault” money and he’s down his new contract of 170k- so that’s close to 350k down - ouch that’s gotta hurt

They could do a new series of BOSCO, that would go down with all the toy show fanatics....