A task force set up by ORF Director General Roland Weißmann is dealing with these questions. He announced this to the Board of Trustees yesterday.
At the request of the ORF, the Constitutional Court is already dealing with the issue of streaming. The reason is that the ORF is not allowed to charge any fees for this. The ORF lawyers argue that the streaming gap endangers the ORF’s financing in the long term and that there is a violation of the right to broadcast freedom and equality before the law. Yesterday, the foundation councils showed understanding for this argument: “ORF is increasingly entering the streaming space, but gets nothing for it. The streaming gap is not getting smaller,” said Heinz Lederer, head of the SPÖ-related foundation councils. Lothar Lockl, head of the Greens’ “Friends’ Group”, also pointed out the ORF’s supply mandate: “Young people are now on the go on digital platforms.”
Green boss on the board of trustees?
The annual financial statements of the ORF were also approved at the meeting. Sales in the previous year were one billion euros, of which 645 million euros came from program fees and 228 million euros were from advertising (28 million more than in the previous year). The preliminary result of the ORF parent company 2021 is 6.7 million euros, that of the group 9.6 million.
The next meeting in mid-May should be exciting, when the new board of trustees is constituted for the next four years. According to a “side letter” from the turquoise-green federal government, the Greens have the right to propose the presidency. It will therefore be interesting to see whether the Greens are pushing for Lothar Lockl to be appointed.
Source: Nachrichten
