Interim Deputy Director-General Cites Legal Privilege in Response to Questions

RTÉ’s interim deputy director-general, Adrian Lynch, disclosed that former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy is still receiving payments from the national broadcaster despite being off-air due to “editorial reasons” following revelations about misstated payments. Lynch, testifying before the Oireachtas media committee, explained that ongoing negotiations over a radio contract for Tubridy were paused due to the controversy, and certain contract elements remain disputed with Tubridy’s agent.

While Tubridy stepped down from television earlier this year, he continued with a weekday radio slot. Lynch confirmed Tubridy’s absence from next week’s broadcast. Committee members interrogated both current and former RTÉ executives about the organisation’s highest-paid presenter’s pay negotiations. Responding to Brendan Griffin, ex-chief financial officer Breda O’Keeffe clarified that Tubridy and his agent did not entirely refuse a pay reduction but disagreed on its extent.

O’Keeffe added that by the time of her departure in early 2020, there had been no RTÉ commitment to underwrite a commercial deal involving Tubridy and Renault. She only became aware of this arrangement’s underwriting—which led to RTÉ compensating Tubridy €150,000 after Renault’s 2021-2022 withdrawal—via recent media reports.

Senator Timmy Dooley raised questions about a three-way agreement among RTÉ, Renault, and Tubridy, which O’Keeffe claimed she had not seen underwritten before her departure. RTÉ commercial director Geraldine O’Leary indicated she “should have signed” the deal but was unable to explain specific missing figures, while Lynch revealed that a verbal agreement with Tubridy’s agent underpinned the contract. This verbal agreement reportedly originated from a May 2020 commitment by then-director-general Dee Forbes.

O’Keeffe stated that all relevant details about the Tubridy arrangement were passed to her successor, CFO Richard Collins. Collins acknowledged the likelihood of discussing underwriting specifics, but could not recall with certainty.

Alan Dillon TD pressed Collins on the rejection of Tubridy’s agent’s request for a taxpayer-backed guarantee. Collins affirmed the rejection, while Lynch asserted that subsequent underwriting discussions fell under legal privilege, citing RTÉ’s need to maintain independence and rely on legal guidance due to its editorial role.