Gareth O'Callaghan has hit out at Ryan Tubridy, claiming he "betrayed" fellow RTE colleagues - and that he ignored good advice from the legendary Gay Byrne.
Dublin native Gareth now works for Ireland's Classic Hits Radio, but for 17 years he worked at the national broadcaster. And in an article written in this morning's Irish Examiner, Gareth said that be believes that Tubridy should not resume working on his RTE Radio 1 morning show.
He wrote: "I spent 17 years working for RTE, and it is not a wonderful place to work. It wasn’t when I worked there, and it most certainly isn’t now.” Gareth expressed his belief that Ryan has “betrayed” his colleagues by taking the undisclosed money from RTE.
Gareth continued: "Tubridy’s radio show is 53 minutes long, he has a dedicated team of six. This week he betrayed his team, his work colleagues, and his listeners and viewers who welcomed him into their homes.
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“You can't have secret financial deals for your own personal gain, and then try to pawn off the blame for not being able to account publicly for them when you get caught. It’s time that RTE stopped paying these salaries.
"They are personalities, not surgeons." The Dublin radio presenter added that his support is with all the researchers, producers and journalists who continue to put in the hard work.
He said: "My support is with those dedicated individuals, the researchers and producers, and the journalists — the real stars behind the scenes, who turn these radio shows into the masterful broadcasts they become, day in, day out."
Gareth left RTE in 2005 and he said that he had "no option" but to leave after he became a "pawn in the RTE blame game."
The Dubliner also fondly recalled working with the late Gay Byrne at RTE. He continued: "The greatest lesson I learned from Gay Byrne, who I worked closely with for three years in the 1990s, was that if you deceive your listeners who invite you into their lives every day, if you deliberately cause them to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain, you will lose their trust and respect forever
“If you rip off their belief and their faith by turning out not to be the bona fide, genuine person they always sought you out for, then you will no longer have a place in their lives. Clearly, Tubridy never discussed his intricate financial affairs with him."
Gareth added that Gay Byrne's advice was "like a wake-up for your career." He added: “‘Do that once and you’re history,’ he would often say when I might suggest a new slant on how to cover an old topic.
“Clearly, Ryan Tubridy never heard those words from the man he often credits. Gay Byrne never employed an agent to manage his radio or television affairs. He did it all himself.
"Should he [Tubridy] resume his morning radio show? No, he should not. As Gay Byrne might have said, do that once and you’re history."
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