RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

2FM's funding should have been cut about 6 years ago. And I am being generous with that. 2FM was always set up to be cost neutral to the licence, even perhaps turn a profit so that it might fund some public service broadcasting on the other stations/channels/services.

With the death of Gerry Ryan 2fm was always going to sink. RTÉ never invested in other shows, they'd lost Dempsey 13 years previouslyand had struggled to replace him (only twice doing so with The Full Irish, something you have to give to TUBS, and then Breakfast Republic).

Starting in 2011 RTÉ required a plan for 2FM, in 2014 that plan need to be review and you might make the decision to fund it for 3 more years, once the second plan wasn't working, you look at a reduced service and new strategy for 2FM to keep it self-sufficient and hope that eventually you start to see growth.

But instead RTÉ decide better to keep it alive, even though those graphs show they didn't have the money for a largely loss-making commercial service, they'd argue "but we require something for a young audience", but couldn't explain how 2FM costs 10m to run while Lyric is only costing 6m and Lyric has had many cuts over the years.

Never heard any of ours talk of listening to 2FM - just doesn't exist in their music world.

I'd occasionally tune in for a soccer match on 2FM.

The media lovies just don't get it.

Who you shouldn't look for advice from? Dee Frobes. What should you not do? Everything Dee Frobes did.

Dee Frobes wanted to complain about the cost of RTÉ services, she cut here there and everywhere, while getting a €50k moving fee, getting a €25k car allowance, get an new office worth €16k and making a sure that Tubs didn't take a pay cut while cost RTÉ more money if she'd just agreed a straight foward contract.

Agree. Dobson is a politics and elections nerd with a vast and detailed knowledge of both topics, spanning back decades. That's why he's worth the big bucks.

Sharon by comparison appears to have a grasp of detail only slightly better than the majority of the RTE News viewership. She's by no means the worst interviewer of politicians I've seen but her line of questioning is always fairly superficial and rote. Usually softballs for anyone who spends their days in Leinster House. That's why she isn't worth the big bucks.

But of course in todays climate, any shrewd operator can see how the wind is blowing and RTE paying big bad men more money than the ladies is just no longer tenable, despite the fact they may be far better at doing a similar job, in some cases.

Agreed. Was at an event wher Dobson was handling the q&a and he was really excellent.

Sharon definitely not worth it though I do like the fact that she doesn't see herself as a 'celebrity' and is never plastered all over the Sindo.

Couldn't agree more. There have been some great female presenters in the past, including Olivia O'Leary, who would would wipe the floor with Sharon and Clare Byrne.

If we had good female presenters to rival likes of Dobbo and others, the likes of Sharon Ni B and Clare Byrne would not be able to look for "equal wages" despite not doing an equal job, as they'd be far down the food chain .

I think think you equating things differently to most.

I don't think we can honestly say that Tubs has been missed. He's Radio show and his TV show are continuing without him, if there is a massive exodus of an audience you might have a case for Tubs, but currently from what we know this is not the case.

I think Kevin has other issues. As you know RTÉ has been mismanagement for the last 20 years. He now has to sift through a mountain of bad decisions that his predecessors made (indeed some of those decision were made while he was Deputy DG 7 years ago).

Tubs is a small part of the picture and largely the scandal has move on from that to the ultimate conclusion that RTÉ was mismanaged over the last number of years and that the direction that the company was taking to continually call for more money to do little more than what they currently do while spending vast amounts of money is incidentals or ill advised strategies.

I am sure you can see the state that RTÉ has put itself in.

I don't know why you want to ignore the mess that RTÉ finds itself in due to its own actions.

I have always said if any RTÉ Talent want to grow and earn more then they need to move abroad, this is always the case. Look at some of the form 2FM presenters they think they are at the top of their game only to be summarily axed, with only one turning around and arguing that she was simple dismissed, the others went abroad and had to restart their career from the ground up, pretending otherwise. Name the talent I am talking about.

RIGHT!

Singer Una Healy - She was just on TLLS and she had just been on Ask Me Anything

comedian Seann Walsh - Grand, don't know him but new comedian and all

Marty Morissey - Has this Marty Stich not had its day yet?

The Parish Quiz - From their radio show

NOT A CLUE!

Also starting tonight is RTÉ/FÍS ÉIREANN's storyland.

Storyland has been a project on RTÉ for at least 16 years.

RTÉ have had a number of other co-funders involved over those years, the last 2 have just been with FÍS ÉIREANN, they may have done the first few alone but I am not fully sure of that.

The idea is to develop Irish TV Drama/Comedy writing.

3 pilot drama's have been developed and produced. Starting tonight with Wrapped.

I am sure Falling for the Life of Alex Whelan, Wrapped and The Cousin will all be well received. And not watch and never heard of again much like all the past Storyland products ... okay I will give them Hardy Bucks and I think one one a few awards last year.

5 other dramas were developed under the scheme.

Shh tell no one!

Can you clarify who his "most talented people" are? I'm curious as to who, and where they would step onwards.

Ryan first of all, obviously. I suppose Miriam O’Callaghan next, Ray Darcy, Joe Duffy, few like that. Maybe Marty Morrissey in sport.

All very disposable and replaceable - no loss.

Next.

He is promoting a whiskey he has a stake in apparently.

We all know the global phenomenon where's Wally/Waldo but there is now an Irish version. It's called where's Joe Duffy?

Duffy has been off RTE radio for the past 5 or 6 weeks and has only been seen on episodes of his prerecorded show The Meaning of Life.

How has NK managed to make sure this is verboten in the media? and Why has Duffy been off air?