What do we know so far?
- Director general of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst emailed staff at 7am to say he is standing down the board of RTÉ executive management on Monday.
- His announcement has been welcomed, Harry McGee writes: The speedy and comprehensive response of Government to Mr Bakhurst’s statement reflected strong approval.
- Who are the members of the RTÉ executive board?
Best reads
- Hugh Linehan: Kevin Bakhurst’s arrival gives RTÉ a much-needed leader
- RTÉ crisis: Who is in and who is out after top tier of management are stood down?
- RTÉ pay crisis: what will Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly be asked this week?
Kevin Bakhurst is promising more changes at Montrose after a busy first day in which he stood down the RTÉ executive management board. As the new director general said himself, this was just day one of the job.
Tuesday promises yet more intrigue, and hopefully more answers, as Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly appear before two separate Oireachtas committees. At 11am, the pair will meet the Public Accounts Committee before a 3pm date with the Oireachtas Media Committee.
Tune into our live coverage from Tuesday morning, which will once again guide you through what could be the most significant day yet of the payments saga.
On a day when Kevin Bakhurst laid down a marker by standing down the RTÉ executive management board, Mark Hilliard has all you need to know on the movers and shakers heading in both directions at Montrose.
[ RTÉ crisis: Who is in and who is out after top tier of management are stood down?Opens in new window ]
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for RTÉ, Olivia Kelly reports that the staff canteen at their Montrose headquarters has been closed due to the presence of rodents.
[ RTÉ staff canteen closed over suspected rat infestationOpens in new window ]
You can now read Hugh Linehan’s thoughts on Kevin Bakhurst’s first day on the job as RTÉ's director general.
“Bakhurst, a public service broadcasting lifer (with the exception of a spell at UK media regulator Ofcom) is back to reassert core values and principles that RTÉ claims to uphold but which have not been much in evidence lately,” he writes.
“At Thursday’s Public Accounts Committee meeting, he will need to put some more flesh on the bones of his plans. ‘RTÉ needs to quickly and meaningfully evolve into an organisation that is focused on its people and the public we serve,’ he told staff.
“But what exactly does that mean? And how does it fit with the much broader, inescapable questions about how to define, fund and run public service media in the post-analogue world?
“At least, many in RTÉ will feel, they finally have a leader, something that has been glaringly lacking over the last three weeks.”
[ Kevin Bakhurst’s arrival gives RTÉ a much-needed leaderOpens in new window ]
Kevin Bakhurst has finished up a long first day on the job as RTÉ's new director general with an interview on the Six One News. In response to questions, Mr Bakhurst said he doesn’t know yet how much severance packages from his decision to stand down the board of RTÉ executive management will cost, but that he is confident that it will be “reasonable.”
“I can’t say overall how much it’s going to cost because it’s not completed or resolved yet,” said Mr Bakhurst. “I was mindful in delivering this that we need to provide provide proper value for licence fee payers, and we’ve done it in a responsible way at the least cost that we possibly could.
“I felt I had to make the change in the organisation, people have got contracts to there’s always a cost. It varies with the individuals involved, there is a cost but it’s a cost I think it is reasonable.”
Mr Bakhurst also said that those who have left the executive management board no longer have to appear at Oireachtas committees. “They have said they’ll be available to help the inquiries or help RTÉ with information. The other people will be available to Oireachtas committees and we made it clear that we expect them to attend those committees as asked for while they’re still being paid by RTÉ.”
Mr Bakhurst said that he has not spoken to Ryan Tubridy since the hidden payments to the former presenter of The Late Late Show were revealed.
On the issue of funding, Mr Bakhurst said that the dual funding model of license fees and commercial revenue remained important to RTÉ's future. “The information we have so far is that people are continuing to pay their license fees and that’s broadly in line with last year,” he said. “It’s only been a couple of weeks and it may go down but I’m really grateful to people for doing that.
“I would like to ask audiences to give us the benefit of the doubt, see what we’re doing to see the value of funding public service broadcasting. Commercial revenue is holding up at the moment but overall funding for this year and next year is challenging. There are other ways of funding public service broadcasting but I don’t think there’s the appetite in Ireland to have a much small broadcaster which is funded by the license fee or double the license fee which is needed if there is no commercial funding.
“Last year we got interim funding from the State and I expect we will need it this year as well. We’re making the case to Government.”
Ahead of his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee and the Oireachtas Media Committee on Tuesday, it looks likely that Ryan Tubridy will also have to win over his peers at RTÉ should he have any future at the broadcaster.
Speaking on Monday, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said that he will both listen to and respect the views of RTÉ staff when considering if Mr Tubridy should return to work following the controversy around hidden payments of €345,000 that were made to him.
During a press conference, Mr Bakhurst was asked if staff would work with Mr Tubridy if he came back to work. “I think this is a major consideration,” he said in response. “I have made it really, really clear I want to hear the views of staff and respect the views of staff.”
Mr Bakhurst also that a decision would have to be taken on Mr Tubridy’s future at RTÉ “soon, for Ryan’s sake and for everbody’s.”
A number of Dublin pubs have announced that they will be hosting live screenings of Ryan Tubridy’s appearance before the Oireachtas on Tuesday.
Mr Tubridy and his agent, Noel Kelly, will appear before the Public Accounts Committee at 11am before then attending the Oireachtas Media Committee meeting at 3pm.
The Camden, located on Camden St, Dublin 2, announced on Instagram that it will be opening its doors at 12pm tomorrow to showcase the meetings on what it says is “Europe’s largest 4k screen.”
Clonliffe House in Ballybough, Dublin 3, also said on Twitter that it will be showing “A Station Once Again” - in relation to Oireachtas TV - tomorrow.
A number of additional pubs across the city are expected to open their doors on Tuesday to punters wishing to watch Mr Tubridy’s appearance.
Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly will appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday morning. The pair had previously stated their willingness to speak to committee members last week, but the precise time and date of the meeting has been confirmed.
Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly will speak before the PAC at 11am tomorrow in Leinster House.
Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley, Cathaoirleach of the PAC, welcomed their confirmed appearance, saying that it is “essential to hear what they have to say about the negotiation and operation of these payments by RTÉ and related matters.”
“These payments and how they arose are matters of significant public interest considering the level of funding RTÉ receives from taxpayers through the licence fee.”
The meeting in committee room one can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.
Colm Keena reports from director general Kevin Bakhurst’s press conference:
New RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst says he wants to see how this week works out as well as further openness and transparency before coming to a decision on Ryan Tubridy’s future. Mr Bakhurst says that a decision would have to be taken on Mr Tubridy’s future at RTÉ “soon, for Ryan’s sake and for everbody’s.”
Asked about the role played in RTÉ by Mr Tubridy’s agent, Noel Kelly, Mr Bakhurst said he didn’t want to single out any particular agent but “I don’t think it is healthy that any single agent has such power in a particular company.”
In relation to reports that Mr Tubridy and his agent Mr Kelly were exploring opportunities in the UK, Mr Bakhurst said the market there is very tough but that he wished Mr Tubridy well.
He says he was still not clear as to what happened in relation payments to Mr Tubridy in the 2017 to 2019 period but he believed the broadcaster was not given a €120,000 bonus at the end of his contract period. He believed it was more an accounting exercise but it was being investigated by Grant Thornton.
Mr Bakhurst says the former chief financial officer Richard Collins is no longer in the role but remains with RTÉ to help enquires and will attend the Public Accounts Committee meeting this week to assist.
Asked about individual broadcasters entering into commercial deals outside of their work with RTÉ, Mr Bakhurst said the matter was being examined by acting director general Adrian Lynch, who would establish what arrangements were in place and whether they had been approved or if they were in breach of the rules in regard to such arrangements. He said it would then be decided if there would be sanctions or a general “amnesty”.
Mr Bakhurst had not been involved in the issue of Marty Morrissey having a loan of a car from Renault for five years, because he was a friend of Mr Morrissey, he said. He had not discussed the issue with Mr Morrissey.
Asked for his assessment of how RTÉ had managed to get itself into the position it was in over the past few weeks, Mr Bakhurst said it was a question he had been asking himself a lot.
“I genuinely don’t know. I don’t begin to understand some of the decisions that have been taken. I don’t begin to understand some of the processes, all of the processes, that were there and not there.”
Last week the chairwoman of the RTÉ board, Siún Ní Raghallaigh, suggested the word “talent” to describe the broadcaster’s biggest stars should be consigned to the “dustbin”.
In her opening statement to the Public Accounts Committee in late June, she stated: “Finally, can I say something about the use of the word ‘talent’? Words matter and the term, as it is currently used, reinforces a ‘them and us’ culture in RTÉ.
“It implies some have greater worth than others. The first step in cultural change is to consign this term to the dustbin.”
Did incoming director general Kevin Bakhurst not get that memo? He used the term three times in his interview with Gavin Jennings on RTÉ's News At One programme.
David Raleigh reports from Limerick:
Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly should be applauded for offering to address the controversy over RTÉ’s undisclosed payments of hundreds of thousands of euro to the former Late Late Show star presenter.
That was the view of Minister for Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, on Monday, who also said he welcomed a decision by new RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst, to stand down the executive board of management of the public service broadcaster.
Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly are scheduled to appear at two back-to-back Oireachtas committee hearings to discus the matter on Tuesday.
Asked if Mr Bakhurst’s decision was premature given Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly had not yet appeared before the two hearings, Mr O’Brien replied: “No, I don’t think it affects whatever Ryan Tubridy or his agent actually says at committee and I welcome the fact that they offered to come to the committee and they need to be commended for that.”
Mr O’Brien told reporters in Limerick that in his opinion Mr Bakhurst’s decision to clear out the RTÉ executive was “just the beginning” of reforming RTÉ but added this would be “a difficult process”.
While he awaited “with interest” the contributions of Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly at Tuesday’s Oireachtas hearings, he said he felt it was necessary for the focus “to move on” with actual reform at RTÉ.
“Whilst the revelations can be very interesting and while I understand why people and the media would be interested in that, there is obviously fundamental changes needed with RTÉ, and we need to embark on that process as soon as we can.”
Joe O’Malley, the managing partner of Hayes Solicitors, will be present at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee meeting on Tuesday with Ryan Tubridy and Noel Kelly.
Mr O’Malley confirmed in writing to the clerk of the committee he would be there for the “purposes of providing them with assistance where required and no other attendees will appear on our side”.
He also stated they are currently working on the “relevant booklet of documents that will be submitted to the committee in advance of our attendance”.
RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said he still does not know why his predecessor opted to conceal undisclosed payments of €345,000 to Ryan Tubridy.
When asked on RTÉ's News at One programme, he said he had “literally no idea” why that was done.
Mr Bakhurst said it appears to be true that the only person who had all the information about Mr Tubridy’s real pay was his predecessor, Dee Forbes.
“I was shocked to find out what had happened. It’s been a shameful period for the organisation,” he said.
Mr Bakhurst said his instincts are to put everything in the public domain but that he has been advised there is a real issue of legal privilege around a legal note that stated RTÉ would guarantee the €75,000 payment to Mr Tubridy in the event of Renault pulling out of a commercial deal. RTÉ had to pay that money.
“The advice is that we can’t and we shouldn’t.”
He was asked by presenter Gavin Jennings as to whether Mr Tubridy had a future in RTÉ. He responded: “We need to see how this week plays out, and I need to talk to my colleagues about that. We will have to take a decision in the next few weeks about that.”
Mr Bakhurst confirmed Mr Tubridy is still being paid by RTÉ.
The new director general’s decision to “stand down” the executive board of RTÉ had been taken to introduce “fresh blood”, he said but added some members would remain to provide much-needed continuity.
Mr Bakhurst announced an external corporate governance expert would be recruited “to look at what we’re doing”.
When asked if special pay offs would be given to the board members who had been “stood down”, Mr Bakhurst said “there will be no substantial pay offs”, adding the only payments would be “fair and reasonable”.
Geraldine O’Leary to take early retirement
Geraldine O’Leary has announced she is to take early retirement from her role as RTÉ's director of commercial affairs with immediate effect.
Ms O’Leary is another senior executive to leave the organisation after Rory Coveney resigned yesterday and RTÉ director general Dee Forbes a few weeks ago.
Ms O’Leary said in a statement announcing her retirement: “My career at RTÉ is a great source of pride and honour to me. Bringing my retirement forward by a number of weeks is not something I had anticipated. However, I recognise that a fresh leadership team, starting today, is vital as Kevin Bakhurst sets out to renew RTÉ, and I have agreed to facilitate that.
“The talented commercial team at RTÉ will continue to co-operate fully with all requests for information. I would like to thank them, along with my industry colleagues and friends, past and present, who have shown me much needed support in recent weeks.”
Ms O’Leary attended Oireachtas hearings last week, where Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster said what had been revealed in recent times would “shame the most extravagant of Celtic Tiger excesses”.
The transactions for 2022 show that more than €9,000 was used for entertaining at a Harry Styles gig, while entertainment was also provided at Westlife and Eagles concerts. Some €2,481 is recorded for hospitality for a Garth Brooks concert. In 2019, €13,730 was spent on entertaining clients and agencies at an Ed Sheeran concert in Croke Park. There was a transaction for nearly €13,000 for Bruce Springsteen tickets for an agency event with the head of sales.
There was also €5,000 paid on Havaianas flip-flops for a summer party.
Ms O’Leary said she brought in €1.65 billion in revenue in 10 years and only 0.1 per cent of that money was spent on hospitality for advertising clients.
RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst has stood down the organisation’s executive board, which has been replaced with a temporary interim leadership team to continue running the organisation.
The temporary interim leadership team is:
- Kevin Bakhurst, Director General
- Eimear Cusack, Director of Human Resources
- Vivienne Flood, Head of Public Affairs*
- Mike Fives, Group Financial Controller, RTÉ*
- Adrian Lynch, Director Audiences, Channels, Marketing, and continuing as Acting Deputy DG
- Paula Mullooly, Director of Legal
- Deirdre McCarthy, Director of News & Current Affairs
- Niamh O’Connor, Deputy Director of Content*
- Conor Mullen, Head of Strategy & Commercial Compliance, RTÉ Media Sales*
- Richard Waghorn, Director of Operations and Technology
* means they were not on the executive board before.
Pat Kenny has said there has been “schadenfreude in spades” on the part of politicians about the fate of RTÉ.
He defines the German word as “the experience of pleasure, joy or self-satisfaction that comes from learning or witnessing the troubles, failures or humiliation of another”.
The schadenfreude was mostly from the political side, he stated. He contrasted the €1.5 billion that he claims has been lost in building the children’s hospital with the €5,000 RTÉ spent on flip-flops for its advertising customers. “It’s hard to take,” he said.
Mr Kenny remains to date RTÉ's highest-ever earner. His salary peaked at €950,000 in 2008.
Mr Kenny said Ryan Tubridy’s agent Noel Kelly is also his agent and has been since he joined Newstalk in 2013. “I have got exemplary service from Noel – no complaints. Him and his team were fantastic.
“Ryan Tubridy started his career as a cub reporter on my radio show. Hard work, diligence and honesty were his hallmark. I want to declare that as well.”
Speaking on his Newstalk radio programme this morning, Mr Kenny said he had been on holidays for the last couple of weeks and did not want to comment on what was going on until he returned home.
At a private meeting of the media committee on Friday it was agreed the maximum length of time of the session will be three hours and that committee members get priority.
If someone substitutes for a sitting committee member, they will only get the opportunity to question at the end of questions by existing committee members. Non-committee members will only get to ask questions if there is any time left at the end of the three hours though this is thought to be unlikely.
There was concern expressed about grandstanding by some representatives and not allowing witnesses to answer.
What the PAC wants to know ...
Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh, a member of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC), described the email to staff from new RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst as “a strong opening statement”.
“It’s a statement of intent. And I’m glad that he’s engaging directly with colleagues. There’s been huge unrest among the rank-and-file workers in RTÉ. I think it’s a really strong step to stand down the board and appoint an interim leadership team,” he told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.
“I’m particularly welcoming the register of interests that we’re going to expedite. I think that’s crucially important to us. With money comes influence. And just as with politicians, if we’re taking money or resources from somewhere, we should be absolutely open and clear with people about that because that affects our decision making.
“Similarly, presenters or back room team or particularly executives, if they’re taking money or inducements or whatever else that could be, that should be publicly known so that we have full information,” Mr Ó Cathasaigh said.
One of the first things the PAC will do is examine the two statements from Ryan Tubridy and the “marked change of tone”.
He said whether Mr Tubridy was aware of the tripartite agreement is important, and whether he was aware of the underwriting agreement that followed on from it.
“He should have known that there was a divergence between his published figures and his actual income, and he should have been asking questions,” he said.
The central issue when putting questions to Noel Kelly, Mr Tubridy’s agent, will be around the tripartite agreement, he added.
“We heard from the previous CFO last week, when she appeared before the media committee, that people within RTÉ and the board were dead set against this underwriting of the tripartite agreement. And what we are left with is a Microsoft Teams meeting,” Mr Ó Cathasaigh said.
“The information that we have is that there is a legal person from RTÉ in that meeting, Dee Forbes and Noel Kelly. We want to clarify was this the extent of the people who were in the meeting and I suppose the exact mechanism whereby this tripartite agreement and particularly RTÉ's underwriting of that tripartite, essentially leaving RTÉ and the taxpayer on the hook for the additional payments. So who came up with that idea? Who signed off on the idea?
“Central to all of this, is to know who was in that room and who pushed the idea. It’s a tripartite agreement.”
The crisis engulfing RTÉ began last month with its admission of secret payments to its highest-paid broadcaster, Ryan Tubridy and looks set to dominate the political agenda in the Oireachtas for a third consecutive week, reports political correspondent Harry McGee.
While Kevin Bakhurst’s strongly-worded statement this morning will help lance the boil, a number of key Committee meetings in Leinster House will determine if the controversy is finally coming to an end for RTÉ, or whether the organisation is still caught in a vortex.
Harry has a thorough run down on what to expect this week for those in the mood for more (and more and more) ...
With the new director general of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst due to hold a media briefing in Donnybrook this afternoon at 2.30pm all eyes and ears are going to be on him for the remainder of the day, and the steps he is taking, beginning of course with the explosive decision on the executive board announced this morning.
It promises to set the tone for an intriguing week of even more insights into the RTÉ payments controversy.
Remember, tomorrow’s two committee hearings will be among the most anticipated in the history of Oireachtas TV and that is no hyperbole.
Here are details of tomorrow’s events:
11am – Public Accounts Committee will look at the commercial arrangements entered into by RTÉ and its presenters, including those underwritten by RTÉ, which have impacted on and relate to the expenditure of public monies. Critically, of course, this includes the appearance of Ryan Tubridy and Noel Kelly.
3pm – Almost immediately after that sensation, both men will appear before the Media Committee, which is looking into “matters relating to ongoing examination of transparency of RTÉ's expenditure of public funds and governance following RTÉ Board statement of June 22nd”.
For context, these hearings are anticipated because politicians believe it vital they hear Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly’s accounts of how payments to Mr Tubridy came to be wrongly reported.
Oireachtas media committee chairwoman Niamh Smyth said the committee has been promised a “dossier of documents” from Ryan Tubridy and his agent, Noel Kelly but hasn’t received it yet.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions about who made the decision to seek the payments and why, and we really haven’t got any clarity around that. But there’ll be bigger questions too that lingered in relation to the commercial deal with Renault,” she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme.
The key question that will be on everybody’s lips tomorrow will be how such an arrangement came about, did Noel Kelly ask RTÉ to underwrite the agreement and did Ryan Tubridy sanction it?
“We need to know who made the proposal. We can only assume it came from Kelly management, but more importantly, who agreed to it in RTÉ? As we know, there was significant pushback from the executives up to the point of gridlock. But something certainly changed in between, which arguably has cost RTÉ dearly in terms of reputational damage.”
Who are the members of the RTÉ executive board?
Jack Power reports:
Adrian Lynch
Adrian Lynch had been acting as deputy director general, effectively the interim top position in RTÉ, in recent weeks.
Mr Lynch previously had been director of audience, channels and marketing, but stepped up following the suspension of former director general Dee Forbes, at the start of the Ryan Tubridy secret payments controversy.
At RTÉ since 2014, Mr Lynch had fronted much of the RTÉ executive board appearances at the various Oireachtas committee hearings in recent weeks, apologising for the failures of governance and transparency.
Richard Collins
Joining RTÉ as chief financial officer in 2020, Richard Collins faced some of the most bruising questioning at the hands of TDs and Senators at Oireachtas committee hearings.
He previously worked as a financial officer in the retail sector for many years, as director of finances at Dunnes Stores and finance director of Superquinn.
In one Oireachtas hearing, Mr Collins initially said that he did not know what his exact salary was “off the top of my head”. He later clarified he was paid a base salary of around €200,000, with a car allowance of €25,000.
Geraldine O’Leary
Director of commercial at RTÉ, Geraldine O’Leary has worked in the national broadcaster for close to 25 years and had been due to step down from the role in the coming weeks.
She joined the national broadcaster in 1997 as manager of television sales and was appointed commercial director in 2003, before being made group head of commercial in 2018.
Much of the recent focus of the RTÉ controversy, such as details of spending from the “slush fund” barter account, related to the commercial department. At one Oireachtas committee hearing Ms O’Leary said she was not sure if her position was “tenable”, citing invasion of her privacy, erroneous reports in media, and the impact of this on her mental health.
Rory Coveney
Rory Coveney, director of strategy on the RTÉ executive board, on Sunday announced he was resigning in order to give the new director general Kevin Bakhurst a “fresh” leadership team.
Mr Coveney, who is the brother of Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney, had been working for RTÉ since 2007, joining from the Irish Aid division in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He had been appointed strategic adviser to the director general in 2011 and later director of strategy.
On the executive board Mr Coveney had responsibility for the Toy Show the Musical, a controversial production last Christmas beset with problems and setbacks that resulted in a loss of €2.2 million to RTÉ.
Jim Jennings
RTÉ's director of content, Jim Jennings, has worked in the national broadcaster since the 1980s. He has been unwell in recent weeks and as a result unable to attend the numerous Oireachtas hearings.
Mr Jennings was appointed managing director of RTÉ radio in 2013 and overall director of content in 2017.
The other members of the executive board include Deirdre McCarthy, managing director of RTÉ News and Current Affairs, Richard Waghorn, director of operations and technology, and Eimear Cusack, head of human resources.
NUJ Ireland general secretary Seamus Dooley said Mr Bakhurst’s statement was “the beginning of the beginning” of changing RTÉ's culture.
Mr Dooley contrasted the behaviour of Mr Bakhurst who had spent two hours with the Trade Union Group (TUG) listening to grievances while predecessor Dee Forbes’s first meetings were with rival broadcasters.
He said the NUJ will insist on a consistent approach to standards within RTÉ. “It is a very crowded inbox, but we have got a good beginning,” he said.
“He [Mr Bakhurst] has to listen to his own staff. There are a lot of people within this institution who are part of the culture. They have to take a step back, but I am not looking for heads.”
Mr Dooley wants to see the commercial side of the house take a back seat to the content.
He said there needs to be an “end to the cowardice” on the part of the Government and there needs to be “real reform of public service broadcasting”.
Here’s some analysis of this morning’s event by Harry McGee
The speedy and comprehensive response of Government to Mr Bakhurst’s statement reflected strong approval and backing for the radical changes he has proposed for RTÉ.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin issued her statement within an hour of Mr Bakhurst’s statement and all the indications were that she had been fully briefed by the incoming director general on his plans for the future of the broadcasters.
The key line was about transparency. The Government and the Minister were left in the dark about many key decisions – and indeed the process of decision-making – by the public broadcaster, which gets most of its funding from the taxpayer.
“The commitment of the director general to rigorous governance processes and an end to secret decision-making is vitally important. These are the first steps towards helping restore public confidence in RTÉ.”
Ms Martin said in her own statement, issued shortly before 8am, that Mr Bakhurst briefed her on Thursday and told her he would be standing down the executive board. This is a board that operates separately from the main board and is comprised of senior management.
Its roles was to make key executive and strategic decisions for the organisation. There was a sense there was too much power concentrated in its hands and, in a sense, was operating as a parallel internal board to the main board.
It is abundantly clear that Ms Martin is in full agreement about the strong language and the significant changes proposed by the new director general.
She notes specific decisions – the standing down of the executive board; the setting up of a register of interests for staff, the consultation with unions – and indicates she is fully supportive of each one. Referring to the register of interests, she states it is “crucial in terms of the transparency needed at RTÉ and to ensure accountability at the station”.
It was also welcome that RTÉ supports the work of the external forensic accountant who will look at auditing practices within the organisation.
It is clear the Minister and the new head of the broadcaster are on the same page in terms of their solution. She says in her statement it is time for a “reset” of the organisation and it’s clear she sees the template set out by Mr Bakhurst this morning as the right way to do it.
However, it’s not as if RTÉ is out of the woods yet after two weeks of dominating the headlines. With the RTÉ’s leading broadcaster Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly appearing before two Oireachtas committees tomorrow, the outcome of those encounters with TDs and Senators will determine if the crisis is now coming to an end, or will be restoked by further revelations or damage to the organisation.
RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst’s statement in full
Dear colleagues,
It is a real honour to join RTÉ today as Director-General, albeit in what is a very difficult time for the organisation collectively, and for each and every one of you individually.
Like you, I have been appalled by recent events and the impact it has had on the public perception of RTÉ, the impact on the trust the public places in us, and the impact it has had on you all. I look forward to working with Siún Ní Raghallaigh and the RTÉ Board as we collectively set out to rebuild trust in RTÉ, inside and outside, starting from today.
I know that all of you are deeply upset and angry. RTÉ is full of talented and hard-working people who remain committed to delivering a vital public service to our audiences, and you have been let down by RTÉ management. I have heard many of your concerns already and I will continue to listen to what you have to say.
I plan to be a visible and available Director-General. I am currently scheduling in meetings with teams across the organisation so that I get to meet as many of you as possible throughout this week and next. I hope to make it to Galway next week to meet with colleagues, including those in RTÉ Raidío na Gaeltachta and Nuacht RTÉ, and I’ll also meet with TG4 while I’m there. I’ll be in RTÉ Cork on Wednesday-week, meeting colleagues there. I’ll arrange a visit to our Limerick studios soon and to our regional offices. Engaging with you, wherever you are, will be important to me throughout my time as Director-General.
Change will be essential if we are to rebuild trust in public service broadcasting in Ireland and in RTÉ. While there will be much to share with you in the coming weeks and months, here are four changes I want to share with you today:
Leadership Team
I am standing down the Executive Board today. It will be replaced with a temporary interim leadership team to continue running the organisation. In due course, there will be a new permanent leadership team. I want to underline that RTÉ, under my leadership and that of the re-constituted Interim Leadership Team, will be an organisation dedicated to working closely with you, to listening, to being open and transparent, to strictly adhering to revised and rigorous governance processes and procedures, to being accountable and to delivering a public service to be proud of.
This will take time, but it will happen. It must. There is too much at stake. I will share details of the Interim Leadership Team later today. In advance of that, I can confirm that RTÉ will publish the salaries of the Executive/permanent Interim Leadership Team along with the earnings of RTÉ's 10 highest paid presenters in our annual report every year, starting with Annual Report 2023.
As you will no doubt have heard yesterday evening, Rory Coveney has resigned from RTÉ. I want to express my sincere thanks to Rory for his significant contribution to public service media during his time in RTÉ. I wish him the very best for the future.
Financial Review
While RTÉ has robust processes and rigorous oversight of finances in many parts of the organisation, issues which have arisen relating to the barter accounts and a number of associated transactions, payment of fees to certain contractors, negotiations with agents and the processes around certain decisions have highlighted gaps in our processes and procedures which have caused us considerable harm.
From today, all significant decisions will be agreed by the whole of the Interim Leadership Team and a record of discussions leading to these decisions will be compiled.
There can be no repeat of the siloed and at times secretive decision-making that have been at the root of the shameful events of the past weeks. As custodians of public money, our financial integrity must be on a par with our editorial integrity.
Register of Interests
As part of my commitment to increased openness and transparency, we are expediting the establishment of a Register of Interests for staff and contractors, in consultation with the TUG.
I have asked RTÉ's Freedom of Information Officer to take the lead in a scoping out this important process and to look at RTÉ's legal obligations as well as the operation of registers and declarations of interest in the civil service and in broadcasters internationally.
In addition, Acting Interim Director General, Adrian Lynch has written to all relevant line managers in RTÉ seeking clarification on any potential breaches of RTÉ's journalism and content guidelines and meetings are under way in this regard. This is long overdue and as new cases come to light which continue damage trust in RTÉ, I’m sure you will recognise the urgency and importance of this process.
Cultural Change
For the above to happen, the culture in RTÉ needs change, from top to bottom. RTÉ needs to quickly and meaningfully evolve into an organisation that is focused on its people and the public we serve.
So, from today, and notwithstanding processes already under way and reviews announced by Minister Martin, I will work with Eimear Cusack and HR to co-ordinate a review of roles and grades, pay, and gender equality; I will look at how, what and when we communicate more fully with you, and how we involve you in the decisions we make. Included in this will be the development of a staff consultation group to meet regularly with me and other members of the Leadership Group and a comprehensive employee survey.
I understand that these will raise questions, so I will share further details with you on both of these and more soon.
Inevitably, I will be sharing much of this and other thoughts in my various conversations with media throughout the week, starting from today. I intend to be open with and available to our media, in RTÉ and elsewhere. It is important that audiences and licence fee payers see the change we will bring and that we are accountable for it.
I will also be engaging with a broad range of external stakeholders; the independent sector in particular makes a valued contribution to RTÉ's output, and decisions about RTÉ have wider impacts within the media sector overall.
Thank you.
I would like to thank all of you for the way you have maintained high quality and rigorous content and coverage during the last few weeks. I am aware that this hasn’t been easy – but once again the underlying credibility of RTÉ has rested on your work and commitment.
These are the major announcements for today. More will follow in the days and weeks ahead and I will keep you all closely informed. I hope to see as many of you around in the days to come and I’m happy to hear your thoughts and answer your questions.
In the end, words aren’t enough on their own, and it is now time for action and change. I am absolutely determined to introduce that change and reform which will help us draw a line under this shameful period in RTÉ's history and to start rebuilding trust in public service broadcasting, hour by hour and day by day. I believe that together we will. We must.
Ní neart go cur le chéile.
Thank you, Kevin
The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley, has welcomed the statement from the new director general of RTÉ that he is “standing down” the executive board.
“A new brush sweeps clean,” he told Newstalk Breakfast. Mr Stanley said he had been calling for some time for the board to step aside and following the resignation of Rory Coveney “this was inevitable.”
It was clear that the Executive Board, which was an oversight body, had been “kept in the dark” about the deals being made, but in some ways the board had been “lax”, said Mr Stanley.
The “standing down” of the executive board was necessary and it was a sign of “decisive action” by Mr Bakhurst. It was clear that there had been “no proper relationship” between the board and the management team (at RTÉ) and that was not acceptable.
“It’s clear that the oversight board was kept in the dark. It’s clear that they weren’t being given full information and properly informed. And what we need to see now is, is we need to see these actions followed through. And I think the register of interests is very important. And it’s good to see that being put in place.”
Mr Stanley said there was now “a lot of weight” on Mr Bakhurst’s shoulders and his statement this morning was a good start. There were signs that the oversight board had been “lax in some ways” or “lacklustre” in the attention paid to the issue of remuneration to some staff.
Having served on a number of boards, Mr Stanley said he knew that managers had a way of “keeping things from their boards”.
The oversight board had to have trust in the management team and it was clear that in RTÉ that had not been the case for “a considerable period of time.” “There’s huge work to be done here. Make no mistake about it. What we have seen over the last two and a half weeks is an absolute corporate and financial mess that I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Confidence had to be restored in RTÉ, when that was done people would then pay their licence fee, he added. However, there also needed to be reform of the TV licence pay payment system. “I think when people see that change is coming and change is coming very quickly over the next couple of months, that’s the process that has to happen.”
Our political correspondent Harry McGee writes:
Mr Bakhurst decisions to effect radical changes in RTÉ has been strongly supported by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin who also back his decision to set up a register of interest for all staff.
In a response issued shortly after Mr Bakhurst’s statement, Ms Martin said she noted his decision to stand down the Executive Board and replace it with a temporary Interim Leadership Team.
“It is right that his first action this morning was to advise staff of his plans. I note in particular his proposals for a staff consultation group and employee survey and that he is planning a review of roles and grades, pay, and gender equality,” she said.
“A further essential change by the director general is the announcement regarding a register of interests. This is crucial in terms of the transparency needed at RTÉ and to ensure accountability at the station,” she said.
She said it was vitally importance that the director general was committed to ending what she described as “secret decision making” within the organisation.
“These are the first steps towards helping restore public confidence in RTÉ,” she said.
She said that it was also welcome that RTÉ would support full the work of the external forensic accountant, who will look at accounting and auditing practices within the organisation.
“The director general’s commitment to engage with the independent production sector, as well as his intention to meet with the Raidió na Gaeltachta, Nuacht RTÉ, TG4 and regional teams is also important.
“Now is the time for a reset right across RTÉ and I await the director general’s further announcements later today in respect of the new interim leadership Team, added Ms Martin.
The RTÉ Trade Union Group welcomes this morning’s statement from director general Kevin Bakhurst.
It said: “Following specific commitments at a positive meeting last Friday to ensure full and open engagement with the TUG and trade unions, and to drive cultural and leadership change in RTÉ, staff can begin to face the challenge of rebuilding trust in the organisation. We look forward to working with him.”
The Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists has welcomed the decision of new director general Kevin Bakhurst to stand down the executive board and to put in place an interim leadership team at the organisation.
Séamus Dooley expressed the hope that Mr Bakhurst’s initiative would mark “the beginning of a new beginning for an organisation which has been devoid of leadership for a number of years.”
He added: “Our members at RTÉ will be considering the implication of this statement today. We await details of the interim leadership team but the decision to stand down the current executive board is a good start. In the interest of transparency, it will be necessary to clarify the cost of any restructuring.
“We met Mr Bakhurst on Friday with the RTÉ Trade Union Group and were heartened by his very specific commitment to working with trade unions as he seeks to rebuild the trust of staff, government, and the public.
“The NUJ will work with Mr Bakhurst and sister unions in discussions on the new register of interest. Many of the issues which have arisen could have been addressed if existing policies were promoted and enforced across the organisation.
“We note Mr Bakhurst’s intention to establish a staff consultation group, which will complement the current industrial relationship structures and we look forward to full engagement in the design of this process.”
Oireachtas media committee chairwoman Niamh Smyth has said there is still an absence of clarity as to who authorised the payment of an extra €345,000 to Ryan Tubridy over six years.
Ms Smyth said he hoped that Mr Tubridy will show a “moral compass” and speak of regret for the fact that he knew his declared salary was wrong and did nothing about it.
“I would hope that Mr Tubridy and Mr Kelly would learn from the experience of watching the two hearings with the committee,” she said.
“It would be better to be open and transparent with the committee instead of having to drag information out of them. We can get it through it a lot quicker. Hopefully we can move on to a better future for RTÉ.”
She said Mr Tubridy cannot claim, as he did in his initial statement, that he had no knowledge as to why RTÉ misstated his salary.
“We have had two weeks of revelations. That may have been the attitude at the beginning of the process, but we have seen now that that is not going to wash with the public or the Oireachtas.”
There has been a broad welcome for Kevin Bakhurt’s statement from the TUG, the Minister for Media Catherine Martin, from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and from the board of RTÉ.
Kevin Bakhurst standing down board of executive management
Director general of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst has said he is standing down the board of RTÉ executive management on Monday. His statement in full here.
In an email to staff at 7am, he said the ‘executive board’ will be replaced with a temporary interim leadership team to continue running the organisation.
“In due course, there will be a new permanent leadership team,” he said.
Mr Bakhurst said he will share details of the interim leadership team later today.
[ New director general to unveil changes within RTÉOpens in new window ]
Mr Bakhurst said he wanted to underline that RTÉ will be an organisation dedicated to working closely with staff, “to listening, to being open and transparent, to strictly adhering to revised and rigorous governance processes and procedures, to being accountable and to delivering a public service to be proud of”.
He also said that RTÉ will publish the salaries of the executive/permanent interim leadership team along with the earnings of RTÉ's ten highest-paid presenters in its annual report every year, starting with the annual report 2023.
He promised a review of how the barter account came about, how fees were paid to certain contractors and negotiations with agents.
“The processes around certain decisions have highlighted gaps in our processes and procedures which have caused us considerable harm,” he said.
“From today, all significant decisions will be agreed by the whole of the interim leadership team and a record of discussions leading to these decisions will be compiled.
“There can be no repeat of the siloed and at times secretive decision-making that have been at the root of the shameful events of the past weeks. As custodians of public money, our financial integrity must be on a par with our editorial integrity.”
Mr Bakhurst said he had been appalled by the impact that recent scandals had on the public perception of RTÉ, the impact on the trust the public places in us, and the impact it has had on you all.
“I know that all of you are deeply upset and angry. RTÉ is full of talented and hard-working people who remain committed to delivering a vital public service to our audiences, and you have been let down by RTÉ management. I have heard many of your concerns already and I will continue to listen to what you have to say.”
He promised to be a “visible and available Director-General. I am currently scheduling in meetings with teams across the organisation”.
There will now be a register of interests for staff and contractors in consultation with the Trade Union Group in RTÉ lead by the broadcaster’s freedom of information officer.
“This is long overdue and as new cases come to light which continue damage trust in RTÉ, I’m sure you will recognise the urgency and importance of this process,” he stated.
Mr Bakhurst also paid tribute to Rory Coveney, who stepped down as director of strategy on Sunday.
His statement was welcomed by the RTÉ board led by its chairwoman, Siún Ní Raghallaigh. She said in a separate email that the steps announced by Mr Bakhurst are “the first steps in an ongoing process of change that will last for many months.
“In particular we note the overall commitment to management accountability and transparency that underpins these, and future, actions. RTÉ has a long way to go in rebuilding our bond of trust with the people.”
New structures and procedures will be put in those ensure the “mistakes of the past can never occur again. And, in doing we can ensure an RTÉ that is robust in its unswerving commitment to public service broadcasting and rooted in a sustainable funding model.”
