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Former RBB director Schlesinger: "Strengthened contact"
Photo: Christoph Soeder / picture alliance / dpa
In the scandal surrounding possible nepotism, new revelations have shaken Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB).
As the online medium Business Insider reports, in 2017 the broadcaster hired an external consultant with good connections to Berlin politics.
The man is Bernhard Schodrowski, the former partner of the Green Economics Senator Ramona Pop - now head of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv).
According to »Business Insider«, Schodrowski first discussed possible cooperation with RBB director Patricia Schlesinger in May 2017.
For a daily rate of 1,000 euros, he could network the station with the "important personalities of the capital," according to the plan.
Although, according to the report, it remained a verbal agreement - there was never said to have been a consulting contract with Schodrowski - RBB nevertheless transferred a total of almost 15,000 euros to Schodrowski.
Schlesinger defends consulting assignments
Schlesinger defended the consulting assignments to Schodrowski against »Business Insider«.
Through her lawyer, she said: "When she started work, my client heard from everyone that the RBB was virtually not networked in science, business, politics and administration in the broadcasting area, which was criticized as a major shortcoming." Senders and strengthened him by contacting well-connected representatives from these areas."
After all, according to the report, the files show that the RBB did not implement several of the enterprising consultant's suggestions.
These included a concept for an event on the roof terrace of the RBB headquarters or meetings with people whom the broadcaster could call itself.
"Top Secret" cast
The process is critical for a number of reasons.
At the time of the lucrative fees, Schodrowski was the partner of the then Green Senator for Economic Affairs, Ramona Pop.
Shortly before, this had proposed the powerful RBB administrative board chief Wolf-Dieter Wolf as the new supervisory board chief of the state-owned Messe Berlin.
Wolf, in turn, mediated Pop's ex-partner to RBB director Schlesinger, according to "Business Insider".
The personal ties between the two public institutions became even closer.
»Business Insider« confronted Ramona Pop with the research.
Today's consumer advocate told the medium that she "does not remember having known such a consultancy contract" and could therefore not further evaluate the process.
However, she "never used her position to give others advantages."
The fact that the station has a close relationship with Berlin politics was later shown elsewhere.
DER SPIEGEL revealed last fall that Oliver Jarasch should become head of programming at RBB television.
Jarasch is the husband of the current top candidate for the Greens in Berlin and benefited from the broadcaster's controversial bonus system.
RBB program director Jan Schulte-Kellinghaus had informed the then director Schlesinger in an e-mail to her private address about the planned occupation - and classified it as "top secret".
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