ORF Agreement: Changes for ORF Committees and ORF Contribution Fixed

The amendment to the law stipulates that the federal government will in the future send six instead of nine members to the 35-member ORF Foundation Council. In contrast, the ORF Audience Council, which will in the future be half appointed by the federal government, will send nine instead of the previous six members. The ORF fee will remain unchanged at 15.30 euros per household and month until 2029.

ORF Committee Reform: Changes in Foundation Council and Audience Council

The Constitutional Court (VfGH) determined in 2023 that the government has too much influence in the appointment of ORF committees. The federal government is now responding with a reform that, however, refrains from major changes. "The ORF will become more independent, the audience will have more influence, and politics less," stated State Secretary Michaela Schmidt (SPÖ) on Wednesday in the foyer after the Council of Ministers, emphasizing that the implementation is on schedule. ORF Foundation Council members could work more independently in the future, as the appointments will be decoupled from political election cycles, Schmidt said.

"Our democracy needs strong and independent media. We have set ourselves ambitious goals," promised the State Secretary a "comprehensive package" for the media location. A comprehensive ORF overall reform is also planned, involving the population, to make the ORF "leaner, more digital, more transparent, closer to citizens, more regional, and more sustainable," as stated in the Council of Ministers' presentation. The process for this is to start soon.

Contrary to an announcement in the government program, Media Minister Andreas Babler (SPÖ) said a week ago that the ORF committees will not be revisited in the larger ORF overall reform. Whether a final word has already been spoken on the matter remains to be seen, as State Secretary Josef Schellhorn (NEOS) on Wednesday referred to the ORF committee reform only as a "first step." A "larger committee reform" should follow, Schellhorn said.

ORF Foundation Council: Public Tender and Justification

With the present committee reform, the federal government will in the future send three fewer people and the ORF Audience Council three more people to the ORF Foundation Council. The amendment establishes new qualification requirements for the appointment of the ORF Foundation Council. The government must ensure that there is sufficient expertise in areas such as media economics, business administration, communication, media law, or controlling. The positions must be publicly advertised for at least two weeks. The selection made must be justified and published. The possibility of reappointment after a change of government will be abolished for Foundation Council members appointed by the federal government, federal states, and the Audience Council.

ORF Audience Council to be Reduced

The Audience Council will be slightly reduced to 28 members. Half of them will be appointed by the government - previously, 17 people were appointed by the Federal Chancellor or the Media Minister. The government is required to obtain three-person proposals from organizations that are representative of certain areas such as education, sports, or youth. New regulations apply if organizations do not submit three-person proposals but only name one person, which has repeatedly occurred in the past.

The other 14 members (previously 13) of the Audience Council are directly appointed by legally specified bodies - including various chambers, churches, and party academies. New to this is the umbrella organization of social insurance carriers. When selecting the nine foundation board members, it must be ensured that the selected individuals bring as diverse experiences as possible to the top ORF body. The amendment results in a reconstitution of the ORF bodies. The current period ends prematurely on June 16. The new term of office begins on June 17 "regardless of an appointment or constitution before this date," according to the legal text.

The ORF Foundation Board will continue to be appointed by federal states (9), parliamentary parties (6), and the ORF Central Works Council (5), aside from the federal government and the Audience Council. The individual foundation board members are organized in politically affiliated "friendship circles," with a few exceptions. Currently, the ÖVP-affiliated "friendship circle" holds a majority in the body with its independent allies. With the reconstitution, the turquoise "friendship circle" will lose size, while the SPÖ-affiliated "friendship circle" is expected to gain. The tasks of the foundation board members include, among other things, appointing the ORF Director General every five years and shortly thereafter appointing directors and regional directors on their proposal. The body members approve financial plans and also decide on increases in the ORF fee.

ORF Fee to be Frozen Until 2029

Aside from the reform of the bodies, the amendment also stipulates that the ORF fee will be fixed at 15.30 euros per month per household until 2029 and thus cannot be increased in the next three years. "We are relieving Austrians, who now know that the ORF fee will not increase until 2029," said State Secretary Schmidt. ORF Director General Roland Weißmann recently spoke of a savings requirement of approximately 220 million euros resulting from the non-valorization of the ORF fee for the public service media house. According to the ORF chief, the program and smaller channels like FM4 or ORF III should remain unaffected. Instead, various measures will be implemented - also in the personnel area, where Weißmann stated that a very restrictive approach will be taken with replacements and a "handshake" offer for employees was announced.

While Vice Chancellor Babler saw the independence of the ORF strengthened and the interests of the ORF audience more strongly considered through the ORF bodies reform, FPÖ media spokesperson Christian Hafenecker described it in a statement as a "blank check" for a "'business as usual' in the system propaganda institution" and Green media spokesperson Sigrid Maurer called it a "minimal compromise without real reforms." Hafenecker missed savings, reforms "towards objectivity," and the complete abolition of the "ORF 'compulsory tax'." With the changes in the reappointment possibilities in the foundation board, the "loser traffic light" is also trying to "cement" its majority even after a possible change of government. Maurer criticized that the political influence of the federal government in the new law is not being reduced but merely shifted towards the Audience Council. The foundation board remains far too large for effective work, important reforms such as public hearings before the appointment of body members or secret ballots are still missing. "What the federal government is now presenting is nothing more than another symptom of inactivity and the lack of genuine reform will."

(APA/Red)

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