RTÉ’s greatest home-grown drama continues

It’s the never-ending story. I’m sure some people are starting to get bored but the revelations just keep coming.

At the weekend, the Sunday Times revealed that RTÉ bosses had known about the controversial barter account used to funnel secret pay to Ryan Tubridy for years.

Then, some media reports suggested that the future of RTÉ Cork was in doubt. RTÉ put out a statement on Monday morning after it was suggested that it might sell its Cork studios. RTÉ said that it “remains fully committed to its operations in Cork”.

The statement added: “The suitability of the current building for the full range of RTÉ's operations in Cork is being assessed.”

A range of programmes are made in RTÉ Cork including ‘Nationwide’ and ‘The Today Show’ with Maura Derrane and Daithi Ó Sé and Sinead Carroll. Now, we’ve confirmed that they will be filmed in Cork next year, which is great news.

We contacted a number of staff at RTÉ Cork but none would take to us, despite them being in the media themselves!

On Tuesday evening came the revelation that further barter accounts at the embattled broadcaster have been discovered - incredible!

This came hours after Minister for Media Catherine Martin announced two separate reviews into what had happened at RTÉ arising out of the understating of payments to Ryan Tubridy over years.

Another review of RTÉ finances is understood to have found a number of other barter accounts.

One of the problems about writing and reporting on this affair is that it’s entirely possible there will have been more revelations by the time the paper makes it into print!

Members of the committees who had grilled RTÉ executives last week for around 9 hours were shocked and angry at the revelations.

Before the latest revelations, Minister Martin said trust in RTÉ “has been shattered. The independent, root and branch examination of RTÉ I am announcing today is the beginning of our efforts to restore that trust”.

In her opening statement to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Media yesterday, the Chair of the RTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh said the board's confidence in the RTÉ Executive has been eroded and that she is “deeply unhappy” over the incomplete information it has provided so far.

She said the RTÉ Board cannot fulfil its role to the highest standards when it cannot rely on the information provided.

Yesterday Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly offered to help the Oireachtas Committee on Media next week. We are likely to see more revelations as a result.