FPÖ sends Peter Westenthaler to the ORF Foundation Board

With Westenthaler, the party is now relying on a “profound expert on the Austrian media landscape,” as it said in a press release. The committee is not new territory for Westenthaler, who currently appears as a political analyst and debater on oe24.tv. He sat on the then “ORF Board of Trustees” from 1999.

“Voice of the people”

Westenthaler once caused a stir with his interventions on the ORF – even as a BZÖ politician. FPÖ media spokesman Christian Hafenecker was convinced that Westenthaler was not only a liberal voice on the ORF Board of Trustees, but also a “voice for the benefit of the population.” He took the opportunity again to point out that the FPÖ, in government responsibility, would abolish the ORF contribution in the form of a budget levy. The goal must be a “streamlined basic radio,” said Hafenecker.

The reason given for Haas’ withdrawal was “professional reasons”. The FPÖ wants to continue to rely on his expertise as a media lawyer.

Supreme supervisory body

The ORF Foundation Board is the highest supervisory body of the ORF and has 35 non-instructional, voluntary members. The members of the committee are appointed by the government (9), parliamentary parties (6), federal states (9), ORF Audience Council (6) and ORF Central Works Council (5) and – with a few exceptions – are organized in party-political “friendship circles”. The ÖVP currently has a majority with council members sent by it and close to turquoise.

The board of trustees appoints the ORF general director every five years and a short time later, at his suggestion, a maximum of four directors and nine state directors. The committee members approve financial and staffing plans as well as other important company decisions. The board of trustees also decides on increases in the ORF contribution and the annual financial statements and the program schedule of the public broadcaster every year.

Committee reform by 2025

The ORF committees and thus also the board of trustees must be subject to an amendment to the law. Last year, the Constitutional Court (VfGH) ruled that the composition of the ORF Foundation Board and Audience Council was partially unconstitutional. The government has until March 2025 to carry out a committee reform and thus iron out violations of the requirement of independence and pluralism, which arise primarily from excessive government influence.