A local senator is warning RTE of the consequences of the recent controversy surrounding Ryan Tubridy.
It emerged at today's Oireachtas Committee that 120,000 euro marked as paid to Ryan Tubridy between 2017 and 2019 was a loyalty bonus for service.
RTÉ said this wasn't paid but was credited for in the accounts, and it can't explain why.
Longford senator Micheál Carrigy questioned the decision to pay huge sums of money to Mr Tubridy during COVID, when other businesses were struggling.
Speaking at today's committee, the Ballinalee postmaster says the controversy has affected people's trust in the national broadcaster and TV license revenue is sure to suffer.
"I was working a couple of days recently and a number of people came in and said 'We're not paying our TV license'. One gentleman actually said to me "Will I revolut Ryan or Renault the money?". Do you fear as a board of directors and executive committee that the license fee is going to take a massive nosedive because of the management which you all are a part of? What are your views on this"?
Responding to the senator's question, Interim Deputy Director General of RTÉ Adrian Lynch agreed that there was a clear lack of transparency surrounding payments
"This is a corporate governance issue. It is not an editorial issue. This is not about our journalism. It's not about the 1800 people who work to provide high quality programming, brilliant analysis. It's not about that. This is a deep breach of corporate governance and this is a terrible lack of transparency around events".
