The outgoing RTÉ director general Dee Forbes has today been suspended due to the controversy over undeclared payments to Ryan Tubridy.
In a statement that has just been released in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy scandal - RTE has said the following about Dee Forbes who was due to step down this summer, and revealed that Forbes was actually suspended Wednesday.
RTÉ statement on Dee Forbes suspension
The statement reads:
The RTÉ Board confirms that Dee Forbes, the Director General was suspended from her employment on Wednesday 21 June 2023.
There are processes on-going and RTÉ must be mindful of its legal responsibilities and the rights of individuals.
RTÉ will not be commenting further on this issue at this time.
RTÉ had said to the Irish Independent that Forbes was on leave yesterday, though now it's been revealed that she was suspended yesterday.
Ryan Tubridy controversy
Yesterday, RTÉ confirmed that Ryan Tubridy had received payments totaling €345,000 over six years that were not declared to the public.
Tubridy did not appear on his morning radio programme today and fill-in host Oliver Callen said he'd be filling in for the presenter next Monday.
Yesterday Tubridy released a statement saying.
"Like many people, I’m surprised by the announcements made in RTE’s statement today regarding the errors in the reporting of its accounts.
"It is unfortunate that these errors are in relation to how RTÉ have reported payments made to me but I just want to be clear: this is a matter for RTÉ and I have no involvement in RTÉ’s internal accounting treatment or RTÉ’s public declarations in connection with such payments.
"Obviously, I’m disappointed to be at the centre of this story but unfortunately, I can’t shed any light on why RTE treated these payments in the way that they did, nor can I answer for their mistakes in this regard."
Who Is Dee Forbes
Dee Forbes was the Director-General of RTÉ up until it was announced today that she has been suspended immediately due to the undeclared payment made to Ryan Tuburdy, which has surfaced this week.
Forbes has been the Director-General of RTÉ since 2016.
Forbes is originally from Drimoleague in Cork. She is a graduate of UCD in Dublin, where she got her degree in history and politics.
What is the Director-General of RTÉ's role?
The Director-General role within RTÉ is the most senior executive post in the RTÉ organisational structure.
The person who occupies this role is expected to as being the organisation's Chief Executive Officer and Editor-In-Chief.
They are also expected to represent RTÉ both at a national and international level.
Dee Forbes' Previous Jobs
Prior to taking up her role in RTÉ, Forbes was based in London for over 27 years. She worked for Young and Rubicam who are broadcasters and an advertising agency.
She was President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Northern Europe. Dee Forbes joined Discovery in 2010 as Head of the UK/Ireland operations, before progressing through the ranks.
Ahead of joining Discovery, Forbes was in charge of Turner Broadcasting's business in the UK and Ireland.
Turner Broadcasting included many entertainment channels such as Cartoon Network, Boomerang and TCM.
Before her move to London, she was a former non-executive director of the board at the Irish Times.
Who Will Be RTÉ's New Director General?
Forbes will be replaced as Director-General by Kevin Bakhurst. Bakhurst is a former executive at RTÉ. He had also worked in media organisations in the UK. Bakhurst previously worked for BBC and broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
