Ryan Tubridy ‘surprised’ to learn of RTÉ pay statement errors
Ryan Tubridy, the former host of The Late Late Show, has said he was surprised to learn of errors in RTÉ’s public statement about payments it had made to him.
The Irish national broadcaster apologised on Thursday after admitting Tubridy had been paid several hundred thousand more than it had previously declared.
In a statement, the RTE board said that between 2017 and 2022, Tubridy received a series of payments totalling 345,000 euros above his annual published salary.
The payments were uncovered after the broadcaster’s auditors alerted the board to some of the transactions.
Tubridy said he “can’t shed any light” on how the discrepancy had come about.
“Like many people, I’m surprised by the announcements made in RTE’s statement today regarding the errors in the reporting of its accounts,” he said in a statement.
“It is unfortunate that these errors are in relation to how RTE have reported payments made to me but I just want to be clear: this is a matter for RTE and I have no involvement in RTE’s internal accounting treatment or RTE’s public declarations in connection with such payments.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed to be at the centre of this story but unfortunately, I can’t shed any light on why RTE treated these payments in the way that they did, nor can I answer for their mistakes in this regard.”
Arts Minister Catherine Martin said she was “extremely concerned” at what has emerged and will meet with RTE chairwoman Siun Ni Raghallaigh on Monday.
“I have asked the chair to set out in that meeting, in detail, the issues involved, the steps the board is taking to deal with the matter, the follow on action that will be required, and the timeline for these actions,” she said.
Earlier Ms Ni Raghallaigh said: “This is a matter of profound regret for the board of RTE.
“We are well aware that this is a serious breach of trust with the public. On behalf of the board, I wish to apologise for what has occurred.
“It is clear that RTE has fallen short of the high standards that it sets for itself and are expected of it.
“Once these issues came to light, we acted expeditiously to establish the facts and we are confident that the safeguards we have now put in place will ensure that nothing like this will happen again, and that good corporate governance is adhered to at all times.”
Tubridy, who stepped down as host of RTE’s flagship The Late, Late Show earlier this year, is the broadcaster’s highest-profile and highest-paid presenter.
RTE said during a routine audit of 2022 accounts in late March, an issue was identified in relation to the “transparency of certain payments”.
An auditor was then appointed to carry out an independent fact-finding review.
Tubridy’s previously published remunerations for 2020 and 2021 show that he earned 466,250 euro and 440,000 euro respectively in those years, which appeared to represent an 11% reduction on his 2019 earnings.
However, under a separate agreement, Tubridy was guaranteed by RTE an additional annual income of 75,000 euro in 2020 which was intended to come from a commercial partner.
The statement said the commercial partner fee due to Tubridy was guaranteed and underwritten by RTE.
The commercial partner did not renew the agreement for a second year, and since the agreement was guaranteed by RTE, the payments were instead made directly by RTE to Tubridy’s agent.
The presenter received two further 75,000 euro payments in 2022, which prompted the review.
It was then discovered that Tubridy’s remuneration had been understated by RTE by 120,000 euro over the contract period of 2017-2019.
The RTE statement added: “The circumstances that led to this understatement by RTE are currently under examination.
“As such, it is necessary for the board of RTE to correct the public record in relation to Mr Tubridy’s earnings from RTE during the period 2017-2022”.
The RTE board said it considered the public mis-stating of financial information to be a “very serious matter”.
The broadcaster added: “At the request of the board, RTE has this week conducted an internal review of the reporting of the remuneration of its top 10 most highly paid, on air presenters.
“This review has found that the full cost to RTE of its contracts with the other such on air presenters, has been correctly reported.
“The board has now requested that Grant Thornton review the contracts of RTE’s top 10 most highly paid on air presenters to independently validate that all remuneration figures have been correctly stated and accounted for by RTE.
“Grant Thornton will also review the understatement by RTE of Mr Tubridy’s published remuneration by 120,000 euro in the period 2017-2019.”
Ms Martin added: “The public rightly expect much higher standards of transparency and accountability from Ireland’s public service broadcaster. It is unacceptable that these have not been met.
“It will be critical for the board to identify whether there are wider governance issues that need to be examined and addressed, and to ensure that there is appropriate accountability for what has occurred.
“It will be equally important for the board to demonstrate that it is putting in place appropriate structures and processes to prevent a recurrence of a matter of this nature.”
Fianna Fail Senator Malcolm Byrne, has said there is a need now for complete transparency by RTE over to payments to Tubridy.
“The public must be told what agreements were entered into, who knew about them and who approved them. There must be complete co-operation with the Grant Thornton investigation and that report should be published as expeditiously as possible,” he said.
“This will not help RTE’s case for additional public funding. It does represent a test for the new chair and chief executive of RTE to set out their values and vision in response to this scandal.”
The National Union of Journalists condemned it as a “grave breach of trust”.
Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the NUJ, said the revelations have “shocked and dismayed NUJ members and staff throughout the organisation”.
“RTE, as a public service broadcaster, has built a strong reputation for trust, the cornerstone of any media organisation,” he said.
“The secret nature of the payments is a breach of trust unparalleled in the history of RTE.
“It is a betrayal of the workers and has long-term consequences for the relationship between RTE and its employees.”