RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

Listener figures is a complex one at the moment. Bizarrely more people than ever took notice of that radio slot and there's the long standing impact of the pandemic. Plus you have an increasing population. TV licence non payment is complex too, the reality is no one likes paying for things, and with a whiff of controversy some people felt there was a chance to give it up. Undoubtedly the hysterical criticism of Ryan, one of RTE's greatest ever talents, didn't help.

So Tub's old show has increased in listeners since June because the population is growing....??

and the absolute chasm in RTE's licence fee revenue, which went through the roof since July, is because people don't like to pay for things?

These arguements make Josef Puska's defence look water tight! 😁

I wonder will Virgin be as forgiving as RTE by giving Tubs a handy 1 hour slot after the Chris Evans breakfast show. This will allow His Eminence to enjoy a leisurely cappuccino in a bookshop cafe in central London, from where he can stroll into Virgin HQ at 9.55 and get handed his script for the next high pressure 40 minutes of prime time national radio. £1m per annum should suffice.

I just hope the Virgin audience are as receptive to 99's, tales of Irishness, sermons and cancer tragedies as his old listenership was.

Calling it here now that this is yet more smoke with no fire.

RTÉ has announced that Gavin Deans is to take up the role of Commercial Director, leading RTÉ’s commercial division. As part of RTÉ’s permanent leadership team, Gavin will lead the development of a new commercial strategy for RTÉ, optimising revenues for reinvestment in public service media through an evolution of RTÉ’s revenue streams, markets, and strategic partnerships.

Gavin was formerly Managing Director of Media Central, Ireland’s largest media sales house, where he led and implemented commercial strategy across Media Central’s portfolio of radio stations, digital, events and sports businesses. As a champion of client solutions, Gavin delivered a range of media firsts for key clients, including Heineken, Vodafone, Coca Cola and PWC. Formerly Sales Director for Communicorp, Gavin has extensive previous experience in print and digital media.

Gavin says: “RTÉ holds a special place in Ireland’s media landscape. I am genuinely inspired by its commitment to delivering high-quality content and serving the needs of the public. At the same time, I understand the challenges that RTÉ and the media sector face. As I set about the task of evolving a best-in-class commercial strategy for Ireland’s national public service media, my focus, and that of my new colleagues in RTÉ, will be to deliver the maximum amount of revenue possible to safeguard RTÉ’s public service portfolio for current and future generations.”

Kevin Bakhurst, Director-General, says: “I am delighted to welcome Gavin to RTÉ and to the leadership team. As we prepare to deliver a new strategic vision for RTÉ, the role of our commercial division will be critical. As a dual-funded broadcaster, the monies we generate from our content is re-invested into the creation of new content. Commercial revenue will be an essential pillar of a sustainable RTÉ and, with his unparalleled experience as an innovator in the sector, I am confident that our excellent commercial team will have a leader that can drive results for RTÉ, and for the audiences we serve.”

Gavin will take up his role as Commercial Director in February 2024.

Tubridy will sue RTE for reputational damage if he's not accommodated back in Montrose. He has no intention of taking any other job at the moment. If he takes a job it will wreck his case. Just my opinion. Said it on here months ago and nothing doing since then.

Not sure. He or his advisors so far haven't shown themselves to be the sharpest pencils in the box when it comes to PR management of this debacle. I'd imagine he's surely now realized that a lawsuit against RTE will not only close the door to him from within RTE but it will also keep him in the news for all the wrong reasons and only further harden public sentiment towards him. Lets not forget about the small matter of the €150k that'll never be seen again.

If I was giving him advice, and knowing his entire goal is just to get back on the state teet, I'd be telling him to take a short contract at a UK media company where his performance won't really be analysed at home, but his caché for what it's worth, will improve simply because he's employed. He knows Bakhurst is willing to accept him back at some point in the future when the hoopla has died down, so the best thing surely is to keep busy elsewhere and aim for a return to RTE in 2 to 3 years.

To be honest, I don't think he need worry. The British radio and tv people know how to play to the strengths of their on air "talent"

If, and it's a big if, Tubs does indeed get a job hosting a national radio show in the UK, he won't have to deal with anything political or controversial. He will be given a lightweight fluff number that actually suits his abilities, something which RTE should have done 20 years ago, instead of promoting him far above his ability.

And don't forget he wasn't a fan of Zelensky cos he didn't dress right.

And how Ukranians 'look like us'.

Dear God... Imagine focusing on Zelensky's decision to not wear a suit and tie while Putin was attempting to eradicate his country.

NewsCorp is very different to RTE. RTE is like the old British Satellite Broadcasting (had a similar attitude to RTE). If they even hire him, he will be on probation and if the numbers don't match the expectations, he will be gone. Is there a genuine source on that story?

Regards...jmcc

Big week for RTE next week.

Wonder if there will be any cull of the management? Meanwhile the Indo has some "news" about Tubridy attending an event in London.

Regards...jmcc

In fairness it's okay not to like Ryan, but he was genuinely very critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.