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Patricia Schlesinger and Tom Buhrow, at that time still in harmony when handing over the ARD chairmanship at the turn of the year 2021/22
Photo:
WDR / Andreas Chudowski
People who have been watching public broadcasting for a long time agreed: there had never been anything like the withdrawal of trust from the directors of the other eight ARD stations in the incumbent management of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB).
»The step is unique«, commented the »FAZ« , »a historically unique process within the public broadcasting network«, was the opinion of the industry magazine »DWDL«.
In the press release of the ARD chairmanship, which after the resignation of the recalled RBB director Patricia Schlesinger was temporarily taken over by her predecessor, the WDR director Tom Buhrow, there was no mention of this, but Buhrow explained: “We are from the group of Artistic directors have been asked to advise us on individual questions without the RBB.
But that cannot and must not become a permanent condition in the ARD.« The German Press Agency learned from circles that there was an intendant switch without the RBB for the first time on Friday evening.
For the national chairman of the German Association of Journalists (DJV), Frank Überall, the process "makes the drama of the situation clear".
After the departure of the director, "the Schlesinger system" lived on.
»Court's Bounty Bonuses«
In particular, the lack of transparency about the bonus payments to RBB executives enrages ARD grandees as well as the journalistic base.
There is now talk of 27 top earners who had agreed “variable performance-related salary components” – when unclear goals were achieved.
"DWDL" peddled the word "Hofschranzen-Boni" for it from among the other ARD directors.
The DJV chairman everywhere sees the ARD directors' withdrawal of confidence as a call for help, because it is becoming increasingly difficult for all employees of public broadcasting to survive the increasingly emotional debate.
"It's not fair to the thousands of journalists who are being held hostage for Ms. Schlesinger through no fault of their own," said the union boss.
In any case, pretty much everyone involved would like a fresh start at RBB.
The ARD directors want to help, they say, but it is questionable whether the station can be stabilized with the current line-up around interim director Hagen Brandstätter.
The DJV calls for “a quick and convincing new start at the top in the interests of the employees”.
"All those awful details"
And the chairwoman of the RBB Broadcasting Council also wants to make a contribution to the new beginning: Friederike von Kirchbach therefore announced on Saturday that she was resigning from her position as head of the control committee, which she had held since 2013.
It is important to her that she helped initiate “the self-critical examination of our work in the Broadcasting Council in the past”.
Friederike von Kirchbach was sent to the committee by the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia.
She is not willing to have her professional integrity as a pastor and pastor called into question, she said in a statement on her resignation, which is happening publicly and is unacceptable to her.
The "Berliner Zeitung" had reported that von Kirchbach had married the former RBB personnel manager Sylvie Deléglise, who looked after the bonus system, with the legal director Susann Lange.
This was discussed at a staff meeting, which caused one participant to sigh »I don't want to hear all those terrible details anymore«.
Call for concentration on core tasks
The chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives, Sebastian Czaja, apparently did not want to deal with details any further.
The brother of the CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja suggested to the "Tagesspiegel" that ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio could be combined under one roof.
His goal is "a high-quality and politically neutral public service broadcaster that concentrates on its core tasks".
The fact that such proposals could get even more business is the accompaniment to the attested loss of confidence in the RBB leadership.
The director of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Joachim Knuth, said on Saturday the German Press Agency: "The lack of trust applies to the executive management of the RBB, because the transparency that has been requested several times has not been created." He emphasized that the employees of the RBB apply Solidarity of the ARD family.
A speedy process is now necessary, from which the RBB as a whole emerges stronger.
It is possible that other unique events will also be observed.
feb/dpa
