RTÉ has declined to say if 2FM presenter Aifric O’Connell got permission from Montrose bosses to continue working with The 2 Johnnies since the duo’s high-profile departure from the station. Ms O’Connell took over as producer of The 2 Johnnies ’ hugely popular podcast on a full-time basis following the departure of Maura Fay, who herself took up a new role in RTÉ . Before that, the 2FM Breakfast co-presenter had filled in for Ms Fay on a few occasions.
In June, when asked if the 2FM Breakfast co-presenter had sought or been given permission to work on The 2 Johnnies’ podcasts, an RTÉ spokeswoman would only say: ‘RTÉ plans to publish summary details of approved external activities on a quarterly basis, with the first one planned for July 2024.’ New rules introduced at RTÉ in February make it mandatory for staff to seek permission for external work and promotions through a Register of Interests and Register of External Activities. This is understood to have been the main reason 2FM lost some of its top talent.
RTÉ had promised to provide details of external payments to presenters in the wake of a series of financial and governance scandals following revelations of secret payments made to former Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy . But in August, RTÉ said the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) blocked the publication of the names of staff members and their earnings outside Montrose. RTÉ previously confirmed to the Irish Mail on Sunday th.