Dee Forbes, the ex director of RTE resigned from her position, in the wake of controversy, here's what happened.
Dee Forbes is an Irish broadcasting professional, who has contributed immensely to the world of media. Over the course of her career, Forbes has worked with Turner Broadcasting, Cartoon Network, Discovery, and so many prestigious media channels.
But, most recently she was working with RTE, as its general director. But, she recently quit her job and is said to have moved on. Here’s her story, her reason for quitting RTE, and the fat salary she was drawing.
Dee Forbes's stint with RTE
Dee Forbes joined RTE back in 2016 and was the first ever woman to be assigned to his position. With a seven-year tenure contract, Forbes quit the job slightly before the contract ended. She described her job at RTE as an opportunity of a lifetime, which it surely was.
It even had a rigorous recruitment process, and Dee was the first external recruitment to happen in the 50 years prior to her joining the company. But as of June 2023, the broadcaster called it quits through an official statement. Here’s what it said:
“I regret very much the upset and adverse publicity suffered by RTÉ, its staff, and the unease created among the public in recent days. As Director General, I am the person ultimately accountable for what happens within the organisation and I take that responsibility seriously. I am tendering my resignation to RTÉ with immediate effect.”
“Following detailed discussions including numerous internal communications over many months with RTÉ colleagues, including finance and legal colleagues, an agreement was reached which delivered cost savings for RTÉ. This agreement meant that the commercial partner would enter into a separate commercial contract with Ryan Tubridy for €75k in exchange for the provision of three events annually.”
"I did not at any stage act contrary to any advice. Unfortunately, the pandemic restrictions meant that the commitment to the commercial client could not be met in 2020 and 2021 and was only delivered in 2022. The commercial partner informed us that the commercial arrangement was not going to work for them in the long term. At this point, only one €75k payment had been made.”
The Ryan Tubridy debacle
News emerged at RTE paid broadcaster Ryan Turbidy €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022. This is what brought eyes to Forbes, and led to her resignation, one day prior to when this controversy came out to the public. She also said the following in her statement:
"This statement is directed to the events of 2020-2022. I understand from media reports and RTÉ’s statement that the Board has raised questions concerning payments to Ryan Tubridy between 2017-2019. I have no knowledge of those payments and the Board has not raised those questions with me.”
What was Dee Forbes's salary?
Dee Forbes is said to have drawn a massive salary, given her position and experience in the world of media broadcasting. As per The Independent IE, During 2021, Ms Forbes had a basic salary of €225,000 and also enjoyed a car allowance of €25,000 which along with pension contributions of €56,000 brought Ms Forbes’s overall package to €306,000. It is also reported that more than 100 RTE staff members made more than €100,000 in basic salary in the last year alone.
During the time of her regisnation, Dee’s statement also said:
I am deeply sorry for what has happened and my part in this episode and for that I apologise unreservedly to everyone.
"I care very deeply about RTÉ, the people who work for it, the public it serves, its mission, values, its unique position as a public service broadcaster and its reputation. I will continue to do so as RTÉ moves forward under the new Director General."
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