Today began with another avalanche of damaging revelations about RTÉ involving more barter accounts and details of spending on client hospitality.
There was also an emergency board meeting and further contact between the RTÉ Chairperson Siún Ní Raghallaigh and the Minister for Media Catherine Martin.
The controversy remained top of the agenda during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil and at another bruising six-hour hearing of the Oireachtas Media Committee.
So, what were the main points discussed today?
Toy Show the Musical's €2.2m loss
Politicians scented blood on the extent of the losses at the ill-fated Toy Show the Musical, but could not get straight answers last week.
Today, it was revealed that the production sustained losses of €2.2 million.
The musical ran for 27 shows, but used just 41% of the available capacity at the National Convention Centre venue.
Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin said the losses were "outrageous" and "a scandal". RTÉ Director of Strategy Rory Coveney said a creative and commercial risk was taken to try to create something unique.
He said nobody advised that it was not a good idea, but he said they were aware of the risks.
Under questioning from committee chairperson Niamh Smyth, Mr Coveney said: "we have to try new things, we have to diversify commercial incomes, we have to take risks … we are in a declining advertising market."
Former RTÉ chairperson Moya Doherty also spoke of the pressure to generate commercial revenue.
She said there was an agreed strategy between the Executive and the Board that RTÉ was to develop a new business by 2024 producing up to 50 live ticketed events.
Grant Thornton is now going to investigate Toy Show the Musical – its third review of issues at RTÉ.
Latest on barter account
A political bomb exploded last night, when it was revealed that there were three barter accounts despite the assurance of Chief Financial Officer Richard Collins last week that only one was in existence.
Today, the picture is more nuanced.
Mr Collins said there is still only one barter account, but three companies feed into it.
He said that everything is consolidated onto the balance sheet and he viewed it all together.
'Lavish spending’
Politicians had sought the full details of transactions going through the barter account and what emerged was not pretty.
€5,000 on flip flops for a client summer party, €4,200 for Soho House membership and thousands more on entertainment.
Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster said RTÉ was "crying poverty" while looking for the TV licence alongside "this sort of Celtic Tiger splurging".
RTÉ’s Head of Commercial Geraldine O’Leary defended the client spending as amounting to just 0.1% of the revenue generated of €1.65 billion over 10 years.
"As a cost of business, compared to any other media company, any other tech company, I think this stacks up," she said.
But she also indicated that the scrutiny has taken a personal toll ahead of her scheduled retirement in eight weeks.
"I would like to also say that from my side, I'm not sure my position is tenable because of the invasion into my privacy, the effect on my mental health and, most importantly, the erroneous reports on both Twitter and in newspapers about me and my husband has crossed a line that I do not find acceptable."
Tubridy and Kelly to be questioned
Another episode of the committees is expected next week, when it seems that Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly will submit themselves to a grilling.
Solicitors for the pair wrote to both the Media and Public Accounts Committees confirming they will cooperate and that they believe they have "important information".
Politicians are likely to insist on public hearings, where the two central figures will get the opportunity to tell their side of the story in return for fielding questions.
More information also emerged today on the status of Mr Tubridy’s contract with RTÉ.
Last week, it was reported that he disputed an assertion that he was out of contract. At today’s hearing, interim Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch indicated a verbal contract is in place.
It also emerged in the RTÉ documents that Mr Tubridy had been given a guarantee that there would be no further pay cuts requested over the five years of the contract.
Labour Senator Marie Sherlock asked whether anyone else in RTÉ got a promise of no pay cuts.
Mr Lynch confirmed that nobody else did.
'Swift action’ promised
The RTÉ board held a crisis meeting this morning as more revelations were emerging.
Afterwards, the chairperson spoke to the Minister Martin.
"Swift action" was promised by the board, according to the minister.
Ms Ní Raghallaigh told the committee that she was deeply unhappy with the pattern of inconsistency and lack of completeness in the provision of information by the Executive.
She also said there was a "high probability" that more information will emerge in the days and weeks ahead.
Asked whether she had confidence in the executives, Ms Ní Raghallaigh said she could not say yes or no as they were a diverse team of nine people.
Later, Senator Malcolm Byrne asked whether she expected people to step down, Ms Ní Raghallaigh said she could not answer, as she had obligations under the Broadcasting Act.
Earlier in the Dáil, the Taoiseach was pressed by Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty on whether he had confidence in the Executive Board.
Leo Varadkar said he did have confidence, but he reserved the right to change his position.
He added that incoming Director General Kevin Bakhurst would want to reconstitute the executive board "or get rid of it altogether".
The guarantee
More discussion today about the guarantee given by RTÉ to underwrite the commercial deal with Renault to provide €75,000 per year to Mr Tubridy.
This clearly goes to the heart of the controversy.
Former CFO Breda O’Keeffe told the committee that a request from Noel Kelly to RTÉ to underwrite the agreement was initially refused by the broadcaster.
She said this was still the position of RTÉ when she left the organisation in March 2020.
"When I left the organisation, nobody was in favour of guaranteeing the overall contract," she said.
For his part, current CFO Richard Collins stated again today that he did not know about the guarantee and he was not present at the meeting in May 2020 when a verbal commitment was given to underwrite the deal.
Mr Lynch today said that it was confirmed to RTÉ by Mr Kelly in March 2023 that the agreement is underwritten by a verbal agreement between former Director General Dee Forbes and Mr Kelly.
He added that he has asked each current executive board member to given him a guarantee that they knew nothing about the underwriting and this was given.
Staff member returns car
Last week, it emerged that one staff member had received a car.
Today, Mr Lynch told the committee that the employee had returned the car yesterday after using it for five years. He said the car was "a loan" and it was not approved.
Pressed by Fianna Fáil’s Christopher O’Sullivan for more details, Mr Lynch declined to reveal the brand.
He said he did not know whether the move had been prompted by a request from management.
