RTÉ Director-General Dee Forbes Resigns

Dee Forbes, director-general of RTÉ, has resigned from the Irish national broadcaster amid a controversy tied to the earnings of presenter Ryan Tubridy.

In late March, during a routine audit of RTÉ’s 2022 accounts, an issue was identified in relation to the transparency of certain payments. The Audit and Risk Committee of the RTÉ Board commissioned Grant Thornton to carry out an independent fact-finding review, which has now been completed.

Tubridy’s previously published payments for 2020 and 2021 show that he earned €466,250 and €440,000, respectively, which by 2021 (the first full year on a new contract) appeared to represent an 11 percent reduction on his 2019 earnings.

The review conducted by Thornton concerned a separate agreement under which Tubridy was guaranteed by RTÉ an additional annual income of €75,000, intended to come from a commercial partner. In agreeing with the commercial partner, RTÉ concluded it on a cost-neutral basis to the commercial partner, and the fee due to Tubridy was guaranteed and underwritten by RTÉ.

Under the terms of this agreement, a payment of €75,000 was received by Tubridy in July 2020 from a commercial partner in exchange for a number of personal appearances a year. As part of this agreement, RTÉ issued a credit note to the commercial partner, thereby reducing the cost to it of its overall sponsorship arrangement with the organization. The commercial partner did not renew the agreement for a second year, and since the agreement was guaranteed and underwritten by RTÉ, the payments were instead made directly by RTÉ to Tubridy’s agent (on his behalf).

Tubridy received two payments of €75,000 (totaling €150,000), each in 2022 (one payment for 2021 and one for 2022). It was these payments that prompted the review by Thornton. They were recorded in the RTÉ Barter Account in 2022 at a value of €115,380 each.

Following Thornton’s findings, RTÉ carried out its own review of Tubridy’s previously stated remunerations and found that these had been understated by RTÉ by a figure of €120,000 over the contract period of 2017-2019.

RTÉ said: “We acknowledge receipt this morning of correspondence from Dee Forbes confirming her resignation as director general with immediate effect.

“Representatives of the RTÉ Board and Executive will be attending the Joint Oireachtas Committee and Public Accounts Committee this week.”

Forbes’ said: “I regret very much the upset and adverse publicity suffered by RTÉ, its staff and the unease created among the public in recent days. As director general, I am the person ultimately accountable for what happens within the organization, and I take that responsibility seriously. I am tendering my resignation to RTÉ with immediate effect.

“I have engaged with and consistently cooperated with the processes directed toward answering questions surrounding payments to Ryan Tubridy. Much of the information in the Grant Thornton Report furnished to the Board of RTÉ has emerged in recent days. There are a number of points that I think are important to emphasize.

“In early 2020, RTÉ began discussions around the renewal of Ryan Tubridy’s contract. That contract contained contractual payments that had been negotiated and put in place prior to my arrival at RTÉ. Discussions on the new contract were taking place in the context of major organizational challenges and a commitment from the RTÉ Executive Board to the Board and the Government to reduce the fees paid to RTÉ’s top talent by a further 15 percent overall as part of a wider cost-cutting strategy.

“As director general, I led the discussions with the agent for Ryan Tubridy together with other RTÉ senior executives. We were keen to make a cost saving for RTÉ in respect of a contractual payment which was due to be paid. At the same time, we were attempting to retain Ryan Tubridy’s services as a valued presenter and negotiate a new contract with the agreed 15 percent cost-cutting target in mind. In an effort to find a solution to the budgetary challenges, we explored if a long-serving commercial partner might take on a commercial relationship directly with Ryan Tubridy.

“Following detailed discussions, including numerous internal communications over many months with RTÉ colleagues, including finance and legal colleagues, an agreement was reached which delivered cost savings for RTÉ. This agreement meant that the commercial partner would enter into a separate commercial contract with Ryan Tubridy for €75,000 in exchange for the provision of three events annually.

“As a result of the negotiated cost-saving agreement, RTÉ would no longer be liable for a contractual payment that was due in 2020. This new commercial agreement required that RTÉ guarantee and underwrite the €75,000 payments.

“The commercial partner agreed to this new business relationship with Ryan Tubridy, but they required the change to be cost-neutral, as they were in the final year of a three-year sponsorship contract, and this was done by issuing a credit note for €75,000 against their airtime.

“I did not at any stage act contrary to any advice. Unfortunately, the pandemic restrictions meant that the commitment to the commercial client could not be met in 2020 and 2021 and was only delivered in 2022. The commercial partner informed us that the commercial arrangement was not going to work for them in the long term. At this point, only one €75k payment had been made.

“Payment was sought for the 2021 and 2022 contractual commitments that now fell to RTÉ under the guarantee even though RTÉ had never expected to become liable for them and had not budgeted for them. Because of the commercial nature of the arrangement, it was decided to pay the invoices from the commercial barter account, which was in credit. We were motivated purely by the need to find a solution to honor the contractual obligation.

“At all times, I and the representatives of RTÉ acted in good faith. I fully accept and acknowledge responsibility for my part in these events as director general.

“This statement is directed to the events of 2020-2022. I understand from media reports and RTÉ’s statement that the Board has raised questions concerning payments to Ryan Tubridy between 2017-2019. I have no knowledge of those payments, and the Board has not raised those questions with me.

“Finally, I want to reiterate that I have engaged fully with the Board during this process. However, the Board has not treated me with anything approaching the levels of fairness, equity and respect that anyone should expect as an employee, a colleague or a person. All of this has had a very serious and ongoing impact on my health and well-being.

“I am deeply sorry for what has happened and my part in this episode, and for that, I apologize unreservedly to everyone.

“I care very deeply about RTÉ, the people who work for it, the public it serves, its mission, values, its unique position as a public service broadcaster and its reputation. I will continue to do so as RTÉ moves forward under the new director general.”