The Indo Daily: Tubridy, redundancy, insolvency – the latest woes at RTÉ?

Yesterday at 15:13

RTÉ director-general Kevin Bakhurst came in for a grilling at the Public Accounts Committee on the actions and future for RTE.

From talks of insolvency to redundancies, what is the future for the national broadcaster?

RTÉ bosses have now admitted the station will be insolvent by early next year if a bailout is not provided by the Government.

Television licence fees continue to fall, with two out of every five householders now refusing to pay.

Mr Bakhurst’s appearance saw terse exchanges with members of the committee.

The Indo Daily: Tubridy, redundancy, insolvency – the latest woes at RTÉ?

https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4Dn6a13nQLS81iPXkpOZKO?utm_source=generator

The director general was warned his position will not be tenable if RTÉ does not hand over a key document at the centre of the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal. Mr Bakhurst came under pressure from TDs to hand over the note, which has been repeatedly requested by the committee.

RTÉ has claimed it has been given legal advice which restricts it from giving the PAC a note of a meeting between Ryan Tubridy, his agent Noel Kelly and former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes. It is the meeting at which RTÉ agreed to underwrite a commercial deal between Tubridy and Renault, which led to RTÉ paying the former Late Late Show presenter €150,000 that was not declared publicly.

The PAC has threatened to compel RTÉ to hand over the document. The Dáil’s public spending watchdog chairman, Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley, told Mr Bakhurst the PAC had received legal advice which suggested the document could be released.

In response, Mr Bakhurst asked the PAC to share that legal advice with RTÉ. Labour Party TD Alan Kelly criticised the RTÉ director general for being too “confrontational” in his response to the PAC. Mr Kelly said that this was not a “two-way relationship,” and that RTÉ was not entitled to ask to see legal advice given to the PAC.

Fionnán Sheahan is joined in the Indo Daily podcast by special correspondent with the Irish Independent Ellen Coyne to look at the latest challenges to best RTE and ask if the country needs an National State Broadcaster?