It is time to move on from high-profile presenter Ryan Tubridy and towards the “seismic” changes that need to take place at Irish State broadcaster RTÉ, the chairwoman of one of the Oireachtas groups investigating finances and governance at RTÉ has said.
It comes after director general Kevin Bakhurst said negotiations for Mr Tubridy’s return to Radio One’s airwaves had ended after trust had broken down between the two sides.
Niamh Smyth, chairwoman of the Oireachtas Media Committee, said that they would be inviting Mr Bakhurst before the committee as soon as possible, but not to discuss “one individual”.
She said that six weeks had been spent on “one small, small aspect of this entire fiasco”.
“He’s made a decision, I think we’ll allow him to make the decision that he feels is right for the betterment of RTÉ, he’s said he has to make it based on what he’s got to do on the overall picture for RTÉ,” Ms Smyth told the PA news agency.
“I will be quite certain that he has bigger fish to fry, if you like, and problems to sort out and resolve for RTÉ”, referring to the financial crisis it faces and the decline in TV licence fee payments in the wake of the controversy.
“It is back to this problem of trying to address public confidence, he’s come out very strongly in the last 24 hours trying to talk publicly about it, which is what people have asked for,” Ms Smyth said.
“We will be inviting (Kevin Bakhurst) in to committee at the first available opportunity but, equally, we don’t want to come in and go round in circles, that he’s had to do over the last six weeks, over one individual.
“We want him to come in and him be able to point to ‘these are some of the changes and reforms that I’ve put in place’. Make sure that they’re demonstrable to the public and to try and restore that public confidence.”
Fianna Fáil senator Malcolm Byrne, who is also a member of the Media Committee, said that other politicians he had spoken to had been impressed with Mr Bakhurst’s actions so far.
“It’s clear there’s a new sheriff in town,” he said.
Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon, a member of the Media Committee and the Public Accounts Committee, which is also examining issues at RTÉ, said Mr Bakhurst’s decision represented a “positive step”.
He said it “demonstrates his strong leadership and commitment to address the broader organisational and cultural issues that have come to light”.
“I feel like it’s a positive step, and it’s important that RTÉ continue to take action to ensure that its practices are both transparent and accountable, and I feel that this situation also sends out a clear signal that no individual will stand in the way of RTÉ’s recovery effort,” Mr Dillon told RTE’s Morning Ireland.
He added: “In my opinion, I think Ryan Tubridy lacked the humility to acknowledge he did wrong during the process, when examining the under-declared earnings, which, you know, was a fatal mistake.
“If he had shown remorse, regret, or accepted the Grant Thornton reports, it’s likely that we would be in a completely different situation, and that he would be back on the air at RTÉ.
“In relation to his public statements, he was certainly ill-advised in his actions, and he has ultimately paid a price, which is disappointing for himself. He’s a very talented broadcaster and (has) a very loyal fan support.”
The Media Committee is to meet on Tuesday to discuss the findings of the second Grant Thornton report, published on Wednesday, into how RTE declared Mr Tubridy’s earnings between 2017 and 2019.
The report has suggested it is “very plausible” that fees paid by RTÉ to Mr Tubridy were underdeclared by €120,000 from 2017 to 2019 to keep the payments under the €500,000 mark.
