Shane Ross says the “real rot” at RTÉ began after a 2014 leadership era, with the Tubridy fallout exposing longer-running problems.
Mr Ross’ book, RTÉ: Saints, Scholars and Scandals, chronicles the history of RTÉ from its beginnings in 1961 up until today.. It also features profiles of a number of significant figures in the history of the national broadcaster, including Tubridy, Gay Byrne and Gerry Ryan.. Speaking at the launch at Hodges Figgis in Dublin city centre on Wednesday evening, he said the theme of the book is that the scandal surrounding the former Late Late
Show host “may have opened the avenues to find out an awful lot” about RTÉ.. He said there was a “very triumphant trio” that left RTÉ in a good place in 2014, made up of then-communications minister Pat Rabbitte, who was in attendance to help launch the book, former RTÉ board chairman Tom Savage, and former RTÉ director-general Noel Curran.. “It is probably forgotten when you’re looking at this period – and it’s from ‘61
to now – that there are some good stories, there are some villains, but there are some heroes, and there are people who did a lot of good at the time in RTÉ,” Mr Ross said.. That trio were faced with an “incredibly difficult period” at the national broadcaster, with finances “in bits” in the wake of the global financial crisis, but managed to leave RTÉ on a positive note.. “They did extremely well, and
actually they bequeathed it to their successors in pretty good shape, and that is actually forgotten,” they said.. “The rot in RTÉ, really, the real rot started after that.” Tubridy left the national broadcaster in the summer of 2023, with his exit coming following weeks of controversy surrounding the public under-reporting of payments made to him.. Tubridy was to be paid €225,000 over three years by RTÉ as part of a deal to top up
his salary, which was not disclosed by the broadcaster.. The presenter was paid two instalments of €75,000 by RTÉ, for personal appearances for commercial sponsor Renault, as part of the deal.. Tubridy has since repaid RTÉ the total of €150,000 he received in the deal.. Mr Ross said the issue around payments made to Tubridy “was only symptomatic of things that had been going on for years and years and years” at the national broadcaster..
It led to revelations around RTÉ’s use of barter accounts, money spent on membership to the exclusive Soho Club in London, and €5,000 used to purchase 200 pairs of flip-flops for a 2016 summer party.. “The Tubridy scandal led to the barter accounts, which led to all those stories about the Soho Club in London, and flip-slops, which excited the imagination of a lot of journalists,” Mr Ross said.. “It wasn’t really the real story,
because once they got to the barter [account], they got to what was going on, and it grew.”
Shane Ross, RTÉ, Tubridy scandal, book launch, Late Late Show host, Pat Rabbitte, barter accounts