RTE boss reveals how new Late Late host kept him smiling during tough year

RTE Director General Kevin Bakhurst has revealed how new Late Late host Patrick Kielty kept him smiling through a tough 12 months.

Bakhurst – who has battled a payment controversy, executive spending splurge, a drop in licence fee revenue and stars quitting – admits that his first year as the boss of RTE has been “pretty heavy going”.

But he said having a hand in hiring funnyman Paddy to replace Ryan Tubridy as the host of the flagship show was a winner.

Kevin said: “Paddy has been fantastic and the way he has resonated with the audience has been beyond our expectations.

“There was a little bit of noise when he started because he’s a Nordie and a few of his guests were from the North but that died away quickly.

“Paddy is a really smart, funny guy with absolute authenticity which I think is really important.

“I think Paddy has shone through in the first year but he is also happy to poke fun at himself which audiences really like.

“The Toy Show in November was a real runaway success and was almost the seal of approval for him, he did a great job on it.”

Bakhurst credits former RTE DG Dee Forbes with letting him have a hand in the decision to hire Paddy, as the Late Late job became vacant while he was still in the UK.

Bakhurst said: “Ryan Tubridy had said he was leaving the Late Late Show and there was a decision about who should replace him.

“And Dee told me, ‘you should be taking that decision because it’s going to be on your watch’, which I appreciated.

“Obviously I made that decision with other colleagues involved. But it was interesting and fun, so there are some parts of the job which are fun and really fascinating.”

RTE’S BIG STARS EXIT

Kevin said RTE are already considering offers from big names keen to replace The 2 Johnnies, Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy, who recently walked from pop station 2FM.

He said: “I know the names we are considering to come in and fill those slots and there are brilliant Irish talent both inside and outside RTE. So we don’t have a problem filling those slots, the problem is who to choose.”

The DG revealed how he had meetings with The 2 Johnnies, Zamparelli and Garrihy before they left the broadcaster.

He said: “I spoke to each of the presenters and the rationale for leaving was different for all of them.

“Whether it was family life or in the case of The 2 Johnnies, a big tour of Australia and America.

“They have all moved on for different reasons, and it was all very reasonable and amicable.”

That wasn’t just corporate rubbish

And he stood by comments made by him and radio boss Dan Healy, that presenters leaving 2FM created “significant opportunities”.

Bakhurst said: “That wasn’t just corporate rubbish. When people leave, it is an opportunity and we can already see that in the short term replacements (on 2FM).”

When he took on the top job last July, Bakhurst said he was astonished by the lack of procedures in RTE.

And he described the relationship between his predecessor Forbes, RTE’s executive team and the RTE board as “dysfunctional”.

He said: “One of the things I was amazed me about my predecessor was that they didn’t give a monthly written report to the RTE Board.

“She gave a verbal update on what’s going on in the organisation and that doesn’t give the board any chance to interrogate it and have it on the record.”

LACK OF FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE

Bakhurst revealed the impact the revelations about secret payments to top presenters and RTE’s lack of financial governance had on its workers.

He said: “It had a pretty devastating impact on the staff.

“The level of anger, disappointment and embarrassment was hard to quantify. And one of my jobs was to go around and hear this from staff and say to them things will be different and we will sort this out.

“There was already a gap between the executive team and the rest of the organisation. I was perfectly prepared to accept that they would only believe me when they saw me delivering, because they had been promised things before which hadn’t happened.

“So all I could do was be open, answer the questions openly and tell them things would be different and they are different. They will be even more different over time.”

The DG said RTE’s financial position is improving.

He said: “We are fine cash wise at the moment because we have controlled costs. The Government had agreed to pay up to €40million to make up the fall in licence fee.

“We budgeted for a 30 per cent fall, but licence fee sales have picked up and it will only be 14 per cent.

“The support we have had from agencies and big clients has been fantastic and we are getting a big rise in revenue on the RTE player.”