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ZDF director Himmler: No to the merger with ARD
Photo: Arne Dedert / picture alliance / dpa
For some time now, a merger of the two large public television stations has been discussed, especially from the ranks of ARD.
In a speech a few weeks ago, the WDR director and outgoing ARD chairman Tom Buhrow suggested a far-reaching reorganization of the broadcasting landscape and also touched on a possible merger of ARD and ZDF.
And in a conversation with SPIEGEL, which caused excitement and frustration in-house, Buhrow, together with the SWR director and future ARD chairman Kai Gniffke, suggested drastic austerity measures and a joint dialogue platform with the competition from the second.
So far, those responsible for ZDF have largely remained silent on the offers from ARD circles.
Now ZDF director Norbert Himmler has spoken out against a merger: "I think it's wrong to question the journalistic competition between ARD and ZDF.
I think it's essential," said Himmler in an interview with the German Press Agency.
»It is important that we have a public service broadcaster in Germany that is also in competition at key points and therefore also promotes plurality, diversity and quality.«
Himmler added: “Imagine if we only had one public news program in Germany or just one station reporting on elections.
That would be a concentration of power in one hand, which is really wrong, especially in times when it is demanded that power should be distributed as much as possible.«
Public broadcasting has been under increasing criticism for months.
In the summer, the scandal in the ARD broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) about allegations at the top gradually came to light.
How to deal with price increases?
The broadcasting contribution with which households and companies in Germany finance the broadcasters of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio is also being discussed at the moment.
It is 18.36 euros per month, which means more than eight billion euros a year.
The current contribution period runs until 2024.
In the coming months, the broadcasters are to register their financial planning for the next few years with the independent finance commission KEF - this is how the amount of the broadcasting fee is determined via a procedure.
The Finance Committee makes a recommendation.
The federal states have the last word, they set the amount in a state treaty.
Media policy is a state matter.
Like many other media houses and other economic sectors, ZDF is feeling the effects of price increases, which are due to the corona pandemic and the energy price crisis, among other things.
Himmler said: »We also have price increases here on ZDF.«
The director cited higher production prices for external producers as an example.
»In the past two and a half years of the pandemic, we have now taken over 50 million euros in additional costs caused by the pandemic from our budget without having applied for more money.
But that also has its limits at some point.
Therefore, what we are facing now with the price increase is also something that we have to take into account when filing for KEF.«
Söder and Haseloff versus ARD and ZDF
Recently, under the impression of the RBB scandal, several politicians had brought into play a freeze on the broadcasting fee.
These included Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU).
Both sit on the board of directors of ZDF, which acts as a control body for questions of profitability in the station.
Himmler commented on the statements made by the two politicians: "The prime ministers who are on the board of directors know from their own experience how responsible ZDF is, especially when it comes to budget issues."
The ZDF director added: “I find it understandable that we are having a public debate about the type and scope and also the financing of public broadcasting.
But one must not overlook the fact that we have a very good and powerful system overall.«
There is no further job cuts in the station with around 3,500 employees.
Himmler made it clear: "We have cut almost 600 jobs in the last ten years.
We've reached a limit."
cbu/dpa
