RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

Hyperbollix · 19-12-2023 5:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121512166#Comment_121512166

Well I don't want to help his ratings but lots of presenters get the early honeymoon period, Tubridy won't live or die by how he does in his first week. I'm sure he'll have a lot of Irish interest in UK and Ireland for the first few shows and then I would imagine it's going to die a death.

The name of the game is going to be his native UK listenership and I just don't see him being able to coast along on the good ship Mediocrity like he did at RTE. Tubs is weak on all fronts IMO. His current affairs and political knowledge is shocking. God help him if he dips his shiny brogue into UK politics.

His knowledge of music is bare bones, he is the embodiment of the joke "My favourite Beatles album is the Best of the Beatles".

He's not a sporty guy either so they'll be no England footie bantz at the Euros! "I'm told that a team of spritely young bucks called England are playing............erm.......... Denmark today.........hah! the old foot-to-ball. What fun!"

The young fogey act, the nerd who loves a bit of Joyce and Shakespeare. I hope he tries it with someone like Stephen Fry.

And worst of all, he has zero charisma. Assuming he's going to have the odd big name guest on the show, in the same way Chris Evans does, those interviews are going to be like pulling teeth. He can't wheel out the tried and trusted "Do you love Ireland, isn't Ireland great altogether" He will actually have to engage them on their own terms. Is he going to start prepping now? Will he read material and know what he's on about. Or is he going to spoof as usual. If he spoofs, that imo, will only hasten the end of his limited time on Virgin.

tom23 · 19-12-2023 5:58pm

he will have hour by hour coverage from the indo.

Gregor Samsa · 19-12-2023 5:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515051#Comment_121515051

I don't ever read the Indo myself, but no newspaper puts anything on the front page if they don't think it'll make them money. NKM isn't some nefarious supernatural entity that's more powerful than revenue.

tobefrank321 · 19-12-2023 6:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121514713#Comment_121514713

RTE don't know how to rationalise though, that's one of their biggest problems.

A voluntary redundancy scheme was over-subscribed. The CFO took VR despite her role not being retired and someone else taking it over. That's one example. And then it will cost several hundred thousand to investigate the VR scheme.

They will lay off permanent staff and then need to rehire most of them when some "unforeseen" event comes up like a royal visit or a World Cup or Olympics!

Most "rationalisation" in RTE is a sham to show the politicians they are doing something.

My guess is Tubridy will flop in UK and be back in RTE this time next year.

tom23 · 19-12-2023 6:04pm

i’d love to know who they are thinking they are making money off… the man is as interesting as a fart in a space suit.

Breaking

Nepo baby over indulged freebie merchant ex RTE broadcaster drinks capuchino

DeadHand · 19-12-2023 6:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121511457#Comment_121511457

He pulled a similar stroke when he inserted himself in the death of Sinead O'Conner to generate sympathy for himself.

The man is a cynical ghoul.

alzer100 · 19-12-2023 6:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121514420#Comment_121514420

I would think ETM for whatever reason may want to move on from that mid-morning slot on Virgin Radio and Ryan Tubridys' availablity may have been the perfect opportunity. Usually if a presenter is dropped to make way for another, their can be some bad feeling towards the stations management. In cases such as that, there is also usually a transition period between the outgoing presenter and the incoming one. I don't get that feeling at all in this case and his tweet kind of confirms that. It's up to Ryan Tubridy now.

Hyperbollix · 19-12-2023 6:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121513431#Comment_121513431

Exactly. He's trying to spin this as a positive...........and I suppose it is from the point of view of being unemployed to now working in UK media. But when viewed from the perspective of where he was 12 months ago, it's a huge demotion and, for the moment at least, the end of a very comfortable existence.

He's gone from secular saint, all round good egg and Toyman, fronting the biggest show on Irish TV and the biggest salary for an on-air presenter to having to move to London (with all the associated expense and hassle) to take a job on a relatively small station, with much longer hours and commitments and he will now be actually expected to pull his weight. I sincerely doubt Virgin will supply him with 10 researchers and lackies like he had at RTE. And he's doing all this for a fraction of his old wedge. He's now in an anonymous big city. No more claps on the back and selfies and people asking him about running for the president. Comfy, leafy D4 will seem like the other side of the world. He's going to be expected to attend lots of red carpets and pump and promote his show wherever possible. Not really his natual habitat, especially when the default question is going to be "Ryan who?"

Fundamentally I dont think Tubs has any love for the UK or any real interest in working there. His stints at the BBC previously were only designed to bump up his RTE contract renewals with threats of leaving. He is a homebird and a very parochial one at that. He likes his home comforts, the familiarity of his surroundings, his trips to Galway. He especially liked the high esteem he was held in at home and I'm quite sure he had aspirations for an Aras bid in the future. This London move would only have made sense if he had gone 15 years ago and into a big show on the BBC for multiples of his RTE salary. It certainly makes little sense now. Beyond of course, staying employed and relevant and hoping he can come home to Donnybrook in some guise in the next 3 to 5 years.

HildaOgdenx · 19-12-2023 6:23pm

Yes, it's up to him now.

It's a tricky enough one for a radio host to appeal to both an Irish and UK audience, imo. Obviously if it's just a bit of music and chit chat from the presenter, similar to the slot as it stands in Q102, he should be able to manage that okay. I don't know what the slot was like, on the UK side.

Anyway this is his chance to prove himself, one way or the other.

alzer100 · 19-12-2023 6:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515066#Comment_121515066

"My guess is Tubridy will flop in UK and be back in RTE this time next year"

But this is one of the many areas for which to me it appears that Ryan falls down. Statements have surfaced (assuming they are accurate) in which Ryan sees RTE in the "rearview mirror" or words to that effect. He should not be saying anything with respect to his previous employer regarding his feelings. He gives the impression that his success outside of RTE is a foregone conclusion. This type of arrogance cost him his job, his chance to earn 170k a year for 5 hours work and a podcast! You don't criticise your employer when your working conditions are that good. You keep your head down and say nothing. One of the main problems I have with Ryan is that he is over 50 years old and still doesn't seem to have learned anything from his experience.

Hyperbollix · 19-12-2023 7:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515257#Comment_121515257

He saw himself as untouchable. There's a touch of the Jimmy Saville's about Tubs in that he believed all "his" charity work associated with the Late Late, his many teary interviews with tragic cases, not to mention his FF pedigree meant that he was above any kind of reproach. He could do and say what he liked. The big I am. The very attitude that lead him into this cul de sac. When you're that deluded, you don't worry about píssing off some blow-in like Kevin Bakhurst.

TBH, he wasn't wrong. In spite of everything, and the Oireachas Committee performance, and I do mean performance, the new DG still felt it was only fair and just to reinstall Tubridy back into a primetime RTE radio show, while the licence fee fiasco rumbled on and job losses were coming down the track. That's seems fairly untouchable to me. It was only Tub's inability to accept a scintilla of blame of any sort, that meant Bakkhurst couldn't restore him to the luxury he was accustomed to.

The absolute tool would now be prattling away on Radio1 for €180k pa and his honour largely intact with many viewers/listeners who don't know better. Instead he's now commuting across London on a packed Tube to go look at Chris Evans everyday for less than half that reduced RTE salary. Pride certainly does come before a fall!

Loafing Oaf · 19-12-2023 7:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515052#Comment_121515052

I just don't see him being able to coast along on the good ship Mediocrity like he did at RTE.

I don't know the radio station or market well enough to say for sure but I think he might well get away with that. I think you guys are way overstating how discerning the audience for this type of radio is. It's the kind of station that's left on all day in shops and cafes. As long as he sticks to the playlist and doesn't actively aggravate people with his patter he will probably hang on to enough of Chris Evans's listeners to justify his existence...

podgeandrodge · 19-12-2023 8:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121513835#Comment_121513835

Oh, live callers? That would be extremely rewarding in the right hands.

NIMAN · 19-12-2023 8:23pm

I tuned into Virgin Radio today on the smart speaker to check it out.

Plays a lot of music, with the usual inane dj banter in between songs.

It's not a hard job, it's not brain surgery.

He should be grand.

Loafing Oaf · 19-12-2023 8:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515571#Comment_121515571

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515601#Comment_121515601

Yep I'd say this kind of 'audience interaction' would be right in his wheelhouse

Virgil° · 19-12-2023 8:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515411#Comment_121515411

Only a small note. But I'm pretty certain Bakhurst said it was gonna be 170k. Not that it makes a difference. Absolutely fucken mad money to be paying to someone who is hated by half the country now and that includes his workmates, for a public facing role. Most of whom would STILL be on a fraction of that wage and facing voluntary cuts in future. If I was working in RTE and that happened I'd have fainted from the anger.

And Ryan and Bakhurst still thought that was somehow a tenable situation? Completely detached from reality. We had even worse from Ryans mate Sarah McInerny interviewing Bakhurst "Ah wouldn't you give him another chance like?". Without so much as a single statement of contrition from Ryan. Truly unreal.

It's probably all in Ryans best interest that things went down this way. I'd genuinely be concerned that Ryan would be lynched by a colleague or aggrieved member of the public if was still on the payroll.

KevRossi · 19-12-2023 8:50pm

Life in London will give him some land. It might sound a bit odd, but you don't go far on £80,000 a year there. It's quickly spent, especially if you're used to the comforts that Tubridy had all his life.

He won't be living in any expensive leafy streets in central London. A 1 bed in a decent part of London starts at £2,500-3,000 and he'd be slumming it a bit compared to Dublin at that rate. Pay for a car, little to no subsidised food and the gifts that are sent in (if any) won't be winding their way into his car boot and he'll have little to nothing left over from the wages. But maybe he's prepared to put in a couple of years as an 'apprenticeship' with an eye on BBC or or similar.

He's totally unknown in the UK, so making friends in the cut throat entertainment industry won't be easy and he'll be largely ignored as he can't offer anybody a way for themselves to progress. The industry, as we know, is full of narcist's and today's news is tomorrows chip wrapper.

Atlantic Dawn · 19-12-2023 9:00pm

He will need an image update to be ladish like Evans, perhaps get himself a red M5 and a few speeding tickets around London to get his name out there before the show kicks off.

MrMusician18 · 19-12-2023 9:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515678#Comment_121515678

How do we know his virgin salary? £80,000 is only an ok London salary, the place is ferociously expensive especially if you like things nice.

Loafing Oaf · 19-12-2023 9:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121515720#Comment_121515720

IIRC one of the tabloids quoted a 'Virgin Radio insider' after he got the job that he would be on £70-100K and that seems to have been taken as gospel ever since...