Not a good look. I wonder did he go because this was going to come to light?
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Yep, I remember the talk at the time back in July was that his CV prior to RTE didn't really fit with being given a CFO role of a company that size. I'm no sharp suited mover and shaker myself but Collins just never seemed to belong in that environment. There was a definite bang of a guy who almost blagged his way into the job.
My own hunch on it was exactly that. Someone like Forbes wouldn't want a high flying egotist in that role who would question every receipt for a box of ballpoint pens. She wanted a soft touch who could rubberstamp all the many dodges that were going on under her watch. Would make sense.
Was he not CFO with Dunnes Stores before? One would imagine Dunnes is a much tougher environment, larger turnover, but probably better renumerated than RTE to be honest.
It wouldn't be unheard of for someone to move across to public or semi state for an easier life
Totally agree. All these investigations and ex board members still refusing to come before the Oireachtas committe. It's beyond believable at this stage that no one is going to be held accountable for tihis debacle. I think in any other country some of these people would be held accountable and would have been removed from their positions without the golden handshake. This scandle could come back and haunt the government in next year's elections if they fork out the 56 million of taxpayers money to RTE without any accountability what so ever.
I don't think Collins helped himself in the Oireachtas, Breda O'Keefee effectively, even after her own admission, threw him under the bus.
But I doubt Collins will make a statement about how he can't handle the public interrogation and talkabout his mental health.
So is Jim Jenning next in line to go?
Collins didn't help himself at all at the committee meetings with is bumbling answers and the answer saying he didn't know what his salary was just made him look at least incompetent and at worst trying to hide something. I will give him some kudos for going to the committee meetings and taking his hammering and not pulling the mental health get out of jail free card. O'Keefe is the one with the questions to answer and she should be compelled to come before the committee's to answer the questions, she and Forbes are up to their necks in this.
This is hindsight masquerading as insight.
If quitting the LLS was Tubridy’s response to the prospect of a report on the barter accounts, or even on the the separate and more pertinent issue of the Renault payments, it was a daft move (and not merely with the benefit of hindsight).
I doubt anyone in RTÉ realised that the Renault payments and the barter accounts were going to blow up into an existential threat. Even if Tubridy anticipated that he was going to be damaged by the Renault scandal (and he will go to his grave believing he is innocent😮), what did he gain by suddenly announcing that he would quit the LLS? And he obviously assumed that he would continue with his morning radio gig (for as close as possible to half a million a year, with or without a sponsor).
Much more likely I think is that he saw the writing on the wall i.e. his LLS days were numbered with the arrival of Bakhurst and Alan Tyler. He decided to take control of the agenda and turned the remaining LLS into an advertisement for himself.
It did take a long time for Collins to resign. Why wasn't he sacked ages ago?
Adrian Lynch is still working on the board which continues to baffle me.
Adrian was given a promotion to Deputy DG, he's no longer head of Marketing, Channels and Audiences. It's strange that it is felt he is a safe pair of hands for RTÉ.
The whole idea of replacing Director of TV with Director of Marketing, Channels and Audiences and the Director of Radio with Director of Content was to reduce the "silos" in RTÉ Radio and TV, but in effect Director of Market, Channels and Audiences is still TV and perhaps Adrian Lynch is lucky that RTÉ were unable to reduce these silos. He's seems to have had no part in contracts, even though he's the main person of Marketing, Channels and Audiences. You'd wonder what his role exactly is.
Eimear Cusask should also have been removed. Not in light of this scandal, though you could argue that as Director of HR she should know the cost of staff and contractors. On several occasions she and her department were supposed to tied up the number of Grades in RTÉ, her time their has been spend obfuscating the problems with employment in RTÉ rather then doing anything to fix the issues. Really the DG should be carrying out a review of the outcomes of HR in RTÉ since she arrive.
I don't know what the hold up with the grades is, well except it is RTE we are talking about. There are numerous systems for assigning grades to posts, and then a salary to a grade. Then an employee's current salary to a scale point on the grade. The final stage is where it gets interesting!
Then we have the allowances, interests and gift register.
Wonder will this effect any of the presenters on 2FM?
I found the figures confusing ... licence fee shortfall of 20 million but the bailout is 40 million?
Is it to account for a projected 40 million shortfall in 2024?
And some cost cuttings to close the gap?
I'm not too sure about those figures either. I do wonder what prompted this because as of August, Kevin Bakhurst was adamant there would be no redundancies:
It's a big turnaround. Was he not aware of the figures at the time I wonder?
Part of that is the "Capital Expenditure" hole. Any accountants around want to explain Depreciation and Capital Expenditure. I get buying capital and the need for maintenance but I think most of the capital expenditure is dump into the Depreciation account and from there used for Current Expenditure.
My understanding was 16m for for 2023 from capital expenditure (which gives them some leeway on the 20m in lost TV licenses) under the guise of Capital Expenditure. While the Minister is holding out for a new RTÉ strategy (because Strategy 2024 has worked out so well) before deciding on 2024's bailout.
Privatise 2FM...who in their right mind would put good money towards that cesspit?
They reckon the Tubs scandal, and people refusing to pay their licence, will cost rte €61m over this year and next.
And yet they are still ar$ing around and refusing to release all the info, tell us what payoffs folk are getting, come clean. They are a joke.
They want and will get millions to bail them out and still are as unforthcoming as stone when it comes to answering all the questions put to them.
They will hide behind every pitiful excuse they can come up with.
I don't care what others think of K Bakhurst. My take on him is he is the totally wrong man for the job. His past connections with rte and it's staff is colouring any judgement imo.
He also doesn't seem to have as strong a handle on the absolute cesspit of weasels that make up a large part of that organisation.
And the bloody government will hold onto it rather than admit that rte is a shambles.
Wonder what the cfos exit package is like?
No point in asking the cfo ,as he probably wouldn’t know.
The term Zombie is topical at the moment. A Zombie company.
Why would you get an exit package if you resign?
I was about to ask the same question.
Dee Forbes is still playing the sicknote card. How can we take any of these clowns seriously?
It should be written into every single one of the contracts for Public and civil service workers especially those in senior roles that they need to attend these committee meetings when asked to attend for up 3 years after they have left the position and there should be no wiggle room. If they pull the sick card like Kerins did in the past and what Forbes is doing now then that 3 years gets extended until they do attend. It is way too easy for senior management in the Civil and Public sectors to make a complete mess and then just walk away giving the 2 fingers to the public. If they want the big paychecks then they are going to have to take the responsibility and the Accountability that comes with it.
But he didn’t leave!
He dropped a bombshell on his boss by announcing that he would not host the LLS in future. He clearly intended to remain in RTÉ and expected to keep his morning radio show (and here’s a real scandal) on the same salary!
So , does anyone know why he dropped the LLS?
It seems that compulsory redundancies and a move from Montrose is not being considered. What is RTE going to change to change I wonder?
Sounds like he got a big payoff. Backhurst refused to say he got no money.
What time is this on this morning?
This is Rte we’re talking about.
On now.
I have to ask, what the hell is Backhurst actually prepared to do...
RTÉ DG quizzed over note at Forbes/Kelly meeting (rte.ie)
Labour TD Alan Kelly said the committee would seek to compel RTÉ to provide the document related to the May 2020 meeting, adding that if this issue ends up in the courts Mr Bakhurst's position would not be tenable.
Mr Bakhurst told the committee that he cannot provide it with the note due to legal constraints and said the organisation had to be able to take legal advice, that remained confidential.
Mr Kelly also pressed Mr Bakhurst on why RTÉ had not named its 100 highest-earning presenters in a list disclosing their salaries.
The Director General said a legal opinion advised against naming the employees amid concerns over GDPR issues.
Mr Bakhurst was asked whether RTÉ had sought Mr Collins' resignation and whether he had received a severance package.
Mr Bakhurst declined to answer those questions, insisting he could not speak about individuals.
Mr Bakhurst said there were no plans for compulsory redundancies and said, it there were, that would require political approval.
Separately, Mr Bakhurst told Independent TD Verona Murphy that RTÉ had no legal basis to recoup €150,000 paid to former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy as part of the tripartite agreement.
Mr Bakhurst, in his opening statement, said that early indications suggest a complete sale of the RTÉ campus in Donnybrook is unlikely.
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The man is sitting on his hands and protecting the elites! Useless
they are terrified of releasing these documents
terrible excuses
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