Ryan Tubridy suffered what amounted to a “public execution” at the hands of RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst, according to one of Ireland’s most prominent hoteliers and a regular feature on radio and television stations for many years
John Brennan, of the Park Hotel in Kenmare and Dromquinna Manor (and a mainstay of RTÉ’s At Your Service TV series), issued a stinging rebuke to Mr Bakhurst over his handling of the RTÉ payments controversy and the manner in which Tubridy was treated.
In an Instagram post, Mr Brennan accused the director general of humiliating Mr Tubridy and collapsing contract negotiations to warn others within the organisation over their conduct in future talks on pay.
Mr Brennan’s post starts by congratulating the recently appointed director general on his new role before beginning what amounts to an evisceration of his conduct in recent days.
“In life one is generally judged on their actions and how they treat people,” Mr Brennan wrote. “In a lifetime devoted to public service and RTÉ Ryan Tubridy has, I would go as far as saying, never humiliated anyone in public. His skill as a communicator and interviewer always steered him away from this temptation as it serves no purpose. Last week’s public execution of a person that has served this country so well is nothing short of disgraceful.”
Mr Brennan points out the presenter had agreed to repay the Renault deals €150,000 “which RTÉ stupidly underwrote and he legally received and accepted a considerable pay cut to return to the airwaves.”
He noted that Mr Bakhurst’s appearance on RTÉ News last Thursday night “was a very different performance in people management and humanity.
“The main motivation for your U turn on your negotiations was and is very thin. The negotiations as you put it had ‘broken down’. They didn’t break down, you stopped them.
“You may be very right in the backlash within RTÉ to Ryan. The lack of support for him from his fellow broadcasters is deafening. Some found their voice when it was announced he agreed to return on €170k a year. A prominent point you made during the 9 O’clock News interview to establish a marker for future negotiations. Not a bad ploy on your behalf to put the wind up the organisation but at an enormous personal cost to Ryan Tubridy. You basically used him.”
Mr Brennan goes on to say that Mr Tubridy is “human, has done nothing but accepted a contract that RTÉ offered him and you say Ryan needs to ‘accept the facts.’ Perhaps RTÉ needs to accept the facts. A flip flop decision from a faceless person or persons who drafted a legal contract and you think the right thing to do is terminate the person who receives it.
“Best wishes rebuilding ‘trust’ within RTÉ on the back of that decision. At least everyone knows the terms of the contracts are only relevant until you decide they are not and loyalty and talent counts for nothing.”
