ESC and Israel: ORF Chief Has Foundation Council Behind Him

The ORF Foundation Board supports Roland Weißmann - at least regarding his stance that Israel should participate in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Vienna. A majority of the board members issued a recommendation to the ORF chief on Thursday, with four abstentions, to continue advocating this position. Due to the Gaza war, Ireland's broadcaster wants to withdraw from the competition if Israel participates. Non-participation is also being considered in Spain.

ORF Foundation Board Approved Annual Financial Statement

Apart from that, the top ORF body also approved the ORF annual financial statement for 2024 in a meeting. According to an ORF announcement, this turned out positive. The corporation achieved a profit before taxes (EBT) of 34.7 million euros in 2024 (2023: 16.5 million euros). For the parent company, it was 4.3 million euros (2023: 4.0 million euros). The ORF group's revenue amounted to 1.13 billion euros (2023: 1.08 billion euros). Of this, approximately 732 million euros came from ORF contribution income, about 198 million euros from advertising revenue, and around 199 million euros from other revenue.

The ORF annual financial statement also occupied the board members in another context. The Foundation Board member Peter Westenthaler, sent by the FPÖ, identified a "classic incompatibility" with fellow board member Andrea Schellner. She is a co-owner of an auditing company that also audited the ORF annual financial statement for 2024, said Westenthaler. He now wants to file a complaint with the media authority KommAustria.

Schellner, who is also the chairwoman of the finance committee in the ORF Foundation Board and approved the ORF annual financial statement in the finance committee, sees it differently. Before her appointment, it was checked whether there could be an incompatibility. She is not involved with "HLB Vorarlberg," which conducted the ORF audit, and does not hold any position there. However, she is a co-partner in "HLB Intercontrol Austria." There is only a "loose connection" between the two companies, according to Schellner. The "HLB Vorarlberg" auditor of the ORF annual financial statement is also involved with "HLB Intercontrol."

In any case, the ORF annual financial statement was already confirmed by "HLB Vorarlberg" on April 30. "At that time, it was not an issue that I could join the Foundation Board," said Schellner. Furthermore, the audit mandate of "HLB Vorarlberg" is already ending. Next year, a new auditing firm will be commissioned by KommAustria to audit the ORF.

Foundation Board Chairman Heinz Lederer supported Schellner. A clear majority of the body could not identify any incompatibility. They are "calmly" looking forward to a clarification from KommAustria.

Foundation Board member Thomas Prantner, meanwhile, called for a structural reform at the ORF headquarters in Vienna. The number of leadership positions there has massively increased in recent years. ORF chief Weißmann opposed this: "That is not the case. We are not inflating the structure, quite the opposite is true. ORF is saving," he said.

ESC with Israel - but without Ireland?

The dispute over the ESC participant Israel is escalating aside from that: Before the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 in Vienna, the television broadcaster RTÉ has now publicly threatened to boycott. If Israel participates in the ESC, Ireland's broadcaster wants to forgo its spot in the music competition. This was announced by the public broadcaster RTÉ in a statement. The background is the Gaza war.

"RTÉ believes that Ireland's participation would be unacceptable in light of the ongoing and horrific loss of life in the Gaza Strip," it states. The acronym RTÉ stands for Raidió Teilifís Éireann. This specific announcement from Ireland goes beyond the clear criticism of several ESC participant countries and their broadcasters, including Spain, Belgium, and Slovenia.

A final cancellation from Dublin would only occur if the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) finally decides to allow Israel to participate. The public broadcaster is deeply concerned about the "targeted killings of journalists in Gaza, the denial of access for international reporters to the area, and the plight of the remaining hostages."

Spain wants ESC without Israel

Ireland has won the ESC seven times and thus stands alongside Sweden at the top of the countries with the most ESC victories. On Wednesday, the Spanish government also once again called for the exclusion of Israel. If this does not happen, Spain may also have to consider withdrawing, said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun in an interview with the state TV broadcaster RTVE.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.