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28th Aug 2023

Irish radio station offers Ryan Tubridy potential two-hour slot following RTE axe

Sophie Collins

It has been just one week since it was confirmed that Ryan Tubridy would not be returning to RTE airwaves.

The decision was made by Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, on the back of the Tubridy wage scandal that grabbed nationwide attention.

Fans of the Irish presenter have been voicing their disappointment about his absence on social media since the announcement was made.

However, it seems Classic Hits FM are keen to sign the presenter for a two-hour slot on their station.

As reported by the Irish Sun, the station’s CEO, Kevin Brannigan, said it’s “very rare you get an opportunity like this”.

Speaking about filling the gap for Ryan’s loyal listeners, Brannigan went on to say: “We want to give Ryan Tubridy fans the option of turning the dial at 9am and hearing Ryan again.

“It’s been a while, but we know our listeners would love him. It’s a very good fit, Ryan Tubridy and Classic Hits Radio.

“I want Ryan to do a two-hour show with us from 9am and 11am.”

The Classic Hits boss also confirmed that they would have no problem working with Ryan’s agent, Noel Kelly.

“It looks to me like Noel’s only crime is that he was a better negotiator than RTE,” he said.

“We’ve absolutely no issue dealing with Noel. As for the money, we’ve more daily listeners than 2FM and Lyric FM and we’re only 70,000 listeners behind Today FM in the multi-city areas Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway.

“We have a five-year target for listenership. Ryan Tubridy could get us there in one year. He would be an absolute game-changer for us.

“It would require a significant investment for us in a production team, marketing and Ryan himself.

“But I believe this is a unique opportunity for us to grow the station to the levels that we wish.”

Brannigan then confirmed that although contact had been made with Noel Kelly Management nothing is set in stone.

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