Ryan Tubridy out at RTÉ as contract talks break down

Ryan Tubridy’s comeback at RTÉ has been scuppered following a breakdown in contract negotiations.

RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst told Morning Ireland that RTÉ staff were “strongly divided” on Tubridy’s return to the airwaves after he was taken off the air in June.

Negotiations were in play for Tubridy to return to his radio show on RTÉ Radio One in early September, as well the launching of a podcast.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One on Friday morning, Bakhurst said that Tubridy is a “hugely talented broadcaster” but internal unrest at the state broadcaster among staff was a major factor in stopping Tubridy’s comeback.

Bakhurst said “there was an issue throughout about the need to accept your role in what has been a hugely damaging scandal for everybody involved. For RTÉ, who need to take the vast majority of the blame, but there are others, including Ryan and his team, who should take some of the blame and take some responsibility.”

“We’ve got to move on from this now, we’ve got a version that fairly reflects overall why he was paid in lieu of those years and to start a question that is counterproductive and we can’t be going around in circles arguing about this. We’ve got to have the integrity to own our mistakes,” he said.

Discussing the issue on RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock News last night, Bakhurst said that while “the time is not right” for Tubridy’s return at the present moment, “the door is not shut forever.”

Tubridy said on Thursday that he was “confident” about a return to his radio show on RTÉ Radio One, and said he was willing to return on a lower salary before talks broke down.