Why I don’t believe Tubridy will air on RTE again

and Miriam O’Callaghan to work on both mediums, but this scenario makes poaching such broadcasters into the private sector all the more di cult.

at said, it’s di cult to understand how Ryan Tubridy could have had, al- legedly, RTÉ over a barrel when it came to pay talks in 2019/2020. In her resignation statement, Dee Forbes explained that she had two ‘opposing’ priorities – needing to cut pay by some 15% while “keeping the man”. Hence, the unprecedented idea of getting a private sponsor to pay Tubridy a ‘top-up’ fee. However, did keeping Tubridy need to be so expensive? Where else was he going to go? Tubridy needed RTÉ as much as it needed him.

I don’t rate him as that great a broadcaster. He’s good be back? Indeed, when could he come back? but not as good as he might presumably think he is. He’s no Gay Byrne, nor indeed no Sarah McInerney. And certainly not – nor any of the other RTE elite – worth the money commanded.

He is, unfortunately, the victim of his own doing: he can’t go back to his radio show while he is at the centre of this unfolding news story, but even if this – and I suspect it will be some time – story concludes, Ryan Tubridy returning to RTE would make him the news yet again. Would not RTÉ nd it untenable to put him back on air until it can at least explain why he was paid him such ‘extra payments’ – something three months of investigation has yet to answer.

Ryan Tubridy’s current suspension is bad news for any broadcaster. It could be even worse for Tubridy if you consider that RTÉ have now paused talks for all contracted personnel. ere’s a good chance that, by giving up the Late Late, the broadcaster has, in the interim, paused new contract talks for himself – and, given everything that’s gone on in the last nine days, could you imagine RTÉ being able to justify a new big money deal for him?

As for Ryan Tubridy: what of his future now? When will he en he goes and passes the buck back to RTE as if it had nothing to do with him. He’s talked himself out of a job. As with ITV’s Phillip Scho eld, likability and trust was his selling point. at is now gone...

Ryan Tubridy’s broadcasting career has been a success. He, particularly, put his heart and soul into e Late Late Toy Show which raised €17.3m for charities, and so many who su ered felt they were no longer on their own. But Ryan Tubridy made an error of judgment in not letting it be known what his full remuneration was. Saying he didn’t know, allegedly, anything regarding his bank account is not believable. Tubridy should have paid more attention to how details of his income were being presented to the public. e manner in which all this has come into the public domain has done him no favours at all.