The planned savings at the ORF are currently being hotly debated, the savings plans are linked to negotiations about a household levy instead of the GIS – after the German model. Our neighbors are now the voices that must save the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF and see the austerity package at ORF as a model. It’s billions.
If the plans of the turquoise-green cabinet go, in the future every household will have to pay for public broadcasting and the contribution for everyone will have to be lower than the current GIS fee. Politicians from the FDP and CSU see it as a role model for Germany, the “Bild” reports. Thomas Hacker, media pundit for the liberal FDP, explained to the newspaper that the only thing that could be communicated to the Germans was “falling broadcasting costs”.
“Comparable savings potential”
These must be achieved through savings at the broadcasters ARD and ZDF. The Bavarian FDP boss Martin Hagen sees a “comparable savings potential” there. The approximately EUR 300 million that the ORF envisages for Germany, which has about ten times more inhabitants and a ten times higher GDP, would amount to three billion.
The parliamentary director of the CSU in Bavaria, Stefan Müller, follows the same line. It is “absolutely necessary to talk now about savings of comparable magnitude at ARD and ZDF,” he tells the “Bild”.
Criticism of Weißmann’s plans
The savings debate, which is getting a boost in Germany, is far from over in Austria. The austerity plans demanded by Media Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) and presented by ORF boss Roland Weißmann are being criticized, especially against the threatened abolition of the radio symphony orchestra and ORF Sport+, which various interest groups want.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
