RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

Turns out RTÉ was freed from the Comptroller and Auditor General's oversight by the Broadcasting Act 2009. No idea why. No one mentioned this at the time. I assume the relevant provision was among a long list of enactments repealed by 2009 Act.

When the Tubridy scandal blew up, the Government scrambled to recover financial oversight and gave power in July to NewERA (a branch of the National Treasury Management Agency) "to provide certain commercial and financial advice to Ministers on relevant financial and commercial matters relating to the RTÉ and TG4".

The Minister has now received the NewERA report on RTÉ but she won't publish it. Where does that leave the PAC?

I think the view was that by put RTÉ under the C&AG that it might be considered to close to government interference. Really this is where the CnaM/BAI come in as they took control of the RTÉ Authority.

6 Establishment of Authority, Contract Awards and Compliance Committees.

There stands established, on the establishment day—

(a) a body to be known as, in the English language, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, or in the Irish language, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann, to perform the functions conferred on it by this Act, and

(b) two committees of the Authority to be known as the Contract Awards Committee and the Compliance Committee, to perform the functions conferred on those committees by this Act.

Though the act itself reads like a strategy rather than giving any real powers to the CnaM / the BAI. The CnaM should really be on top of this and imposing sancations on RTÉ

Even Toyshow The Musical was more successful in the number of people who saw it. Tubridy is definitely on the Alan Partridge circuit only Alan Partridge was much more successful.

Regards...jmcc

Potentially because the BAI was to be RTÉ Authority ? Honestly I do not know why the change was made.

It would be interesting to read the C&AG's final report on RTÉ in 2008.

How many people know that the BAI has been replaced by  Coimisiún na Meán?

If there’s an Oscar or an Emmy for keeping your head down in a media storm,  Coimisiún na Meán gets my nomination, pipping Catherine Martin for the prize.

They only came into operation earlier this year (coincidence?) but they have legal responsibility now. Can they prise (geddit?) the exit packages from RTÉ cold, dying hands?

I absolutely agree. The big wigs in RTE know at the end of all this they will get what they want art the taxpayers expense. For some reasons we as irish people don't like demonstration on the streets it's like if it doesn't affect me forget it.

What really annoys me is that the irish public will vote the same politicians in durning the next election. Nothing ever changes in this country.

Surprise surprise. I wonder what excuse will the producers have for this major drop in people tuning out? The sponsors of the LLS must be thinking what have we singed up for?

A wonderful example of RTÉ’s ability (or lack thereof) to edit a short news item. The DG’s comments are repeated. Either it’s an attempt to hammer home his message or, more likely, laziness and no attention to detail. Truth Matters

I would imagine more tuned in for week one to only discover it's the same dated show and not return for a second bite. I'm definitely in that cohort of people. RTE had an opportunity to wipe the slate clean but made a balls of it.

Good luck with that….

Anyone who believes the policy of ‘Omertà’ doesn’t exist in RTE needs their heads examined.

These tubes shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.

Any political party who bails out RTE via state coffers , without total disclosure,will certainly not get my vote.

Its gone beyond a joke.

I don't see it happening all Political Parties are the same on this issue. All believe that the problem lies with the collection of the licence fee.

Dee Forbes' whole raison d'etre was we need more money and the licence fee is broken, the only way to keep doing what we are doing is for reform of the licence fee. Never a plan as to how they might use the extra funding because we know they they just felt that a programme costing them 100k per episode really should be costing €200k because it is that good and RTÉ are doing a stellar job when you consider the budgets that they have!

All legislators really need to think about what RTÉ is doing and what RTÉ will be doing in the future.

IMO bailing them out rewards their mismanagement of the company over the years and it rewards the incompetency of those in charge.

RTÉ must be split up much like FAS was split up. AFAIK FAS was split across Screen Ireland, DSP (entreo), the new company Solas, the ETBs (formally VECs) and the HSE.

Unfortunately as I see it presently, and this may change, but PAC and the Media Committee just want reform of RTÉ. The Cabinet may think differently. The Minister seems happy to throw money at it, and the Minister has largely thrown money at things without any real focus IMO.

I don't know know. With the audience figures in decline they might be thinking are we flogging a dead horse. 😳