ORF state director Robert Ziegler resigns

In a conversation on Thursday, ORF Director General Roland Weißmann, who showed “respect for the responsible step”, accepted Ziegler’s offer. Ziegler himself spoke of a “difficult step for the benefit of ORF Lower Austria”.

Specifically, Ziegler was accused of repeatedly campaigning for the TV presence of state governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) and operating a kind of message control in favor of the People’s Party. The evaluation commission set up by Weißmann to clarify the allegations ended its work on Thursday and will hand over its report to the ORF general director next Monday.

With ORF for 25 years

“In a personal conversation with Provincial Director Robert Ziegler, he offered to make his position available to me, regardless of the result of the report, which I do not yet know in detail, and in order to avert further damage to the Lower Austria Provincial Studio and the ORF,” Weissman explained. It is a responsible step for the benefit of the company, which commands respect and shows what it means to take responsibility, the ORF general continued. “I therefore accept this offer from Robert Ziegler, who has been doing very successful work in various positions at ORF for 25 years.”

Until a successor is appointed, Radio Director Ingrid Thurnher will temporarily head the Lower Austria Provincial Studio. “I would also like to thank her for the work she has done there over the past few weeks and for her willingness to run the state studio until a new appointment is made.” And further: “I would like to thank the commission, headed by Gerhard Draxler, who carried out her work uninfluenced and conscientiously in a challenging situation and held dozens of discussions with all those involved. This is a best practice example of how serious allegations we can get to the bottom of it with an open mind.”

Bond of trust was broken

“For the benefit of the ORF and especially the ORF Lower Austria team, I have decided to make General Director Roland Weißmann available in my position as State Director of ORF Lower Austria,” explained Ziegler. The step is difficult for him, but the “massive media coverage and the resulting burden have reached a level that makes it impossible for me to exercise the function of state director with full force”. The bond of trust with a number of employees has been broken, according to Ziegler, who is particularly hurt that “the allegations were made public – anonymously via several newspapers”. “And that’s more than a year after the end of my position as editor-in-chief and my election as state director.”

Information had obviously been collected here for years “in order to use it against me in due course”. He had to acknowledge that “a number of editors have recently made allegations that they have never even come close to confronting me with to this extent over the years.” He is sorry if, during the six years as editor-in-chief, “employees came to the conclusion that I had not performed my function adequately”.

The evaluation commission was led by the former ORF information director as well as Carinthian state director and Styrian state director Gerhard Draxler. It was made up of the following additional members: the university professor emeritus for civil law, Martin Schauer, the director of the ORF regional studio in Vienna, Edgar Weinzettl, the ORF compliance officer Pia Scheck-Kollmann and the ORF personal lawyer Elma Osmanovic, as well as the members of the ORF Ethics Council Gabriele Waldner-Pammesberger and Wolfgang Wagner.