Former 2fm breakfast presenter Keith Walsh has lifted the lid on the “mess” of the RTE payments system.
The podcaster and writer worked at Montrose for seven years between 2012 and 2019. He insisted the scandal of hidden payments of €345,000 to Ryan Tubridy could be the “ruination” of the broadcaster.
Newbridge native Keith, 49, told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “This fiasco could be the death knell of RTE because the public are losing faith in them which is a shame.
“We need documentaries and sport and the fact they have to report even on their mess ups, you wouldn’t get that in commercial radio or television.”
Read more: RTE paid Ryan Tubridy over €300,000 more than it declared to public
Working as a contractor at RTE, he witnessed the way the station “always tied themselves up in knots” with regards to money and paying people.
He added: “It’s just this culture of hiding payments, they seem to pay people from different places.
“I presume it’s to do with the fact most presenters are freelance and not full-time like I was.
“I was hired on a contract basis, like a supplier, like I was the guy who comes in to deliver the water or the printer.”
He said it was only a matter of time before a scandal like this exposed how badly the finance side of RTE is run.
He said: “It’s a dumpster fire and it’s like everybody’s caught up in it.
“It was a creaky thing, like a house of cards and eventually something’s going to happen.”
“The system is so outdated, it’s almost like RTE is trying to put a computer plug into a cave.”
The dad-of-two has witnessed the lack of transparency first hand.
He added: “It’s a real shambles in terms of an organisation.
“Nobody seems to know who’s in charge of the juggernaut departments.
“I did a job for RTE recently and it took me six months to get paid – it’s a mess.”
Commenting on Ryan Tubridy’s initial statement he said: “Ryan could have said he needed to fix this and make it better for people going forward but he didn’t do that.
“He was given bad advice on what to say initially.”
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
