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FDP wants tough reform: five-point plan for public broadcasters

2022-09-26T15:28:41.571Z


FDP wants tough reform: five-point plan for public broadcasters Created: 09/26/2022, 17:15 In Germany there is a debate about reforms in public service broadcasting, in which the FDP is now also getting involved (symbol image). © IMAGO/Michael Gstettenbauer No director should earn more than the chancellor. That's just one of the demands in the FDP's five-point plan, with which the Liberals want


FDP wants tough reform: five-point plan for public broadcasters

Created: 09/26/2022, 17:15

In Germany there is a debate about reforms in public service broadcasting, in which the FDP is now also getting involved (symbol image).

© IMAGO/Michael Gstettenbauer

No director should earn more than the chancellor.

That's just one of the demands in the FDP's five-point plan, with which the Liberals want to reform the public service.

Berlin - At least since the scandal surrounding RBB director Schlesinger, discussions about public broadcasters in Germany flared up again.

On Monday, the FDP proposed a reform of ARD, ZDF and Co. in a position paper.

It is about the "slimming of public service broadcasting".

Reforms for ARD and ZDF: These are the demands of the FDP

According to a study by the management consultancy Roland Berger and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster from 2019, streaming services such as Netflix and Co. are overtaking the public media.

People in Germany now only spend half of their viewing time with so-called linear television.

RTL accounted for ten percent of this, ZDF for 9.8 percent and ARD for 8.8 percent.

According to the FDP position paper, many people in Germany feel that their political opinions are not sufficiently represented in the public service broadcasters or they sometimes feel patronized.

The FDP wants to tackle the crisis of confidence in the “public” with reforms and presented a five-point plan on Monday in Berlin, which is intended to tackle “misconduct in the management structures” and the “lack of transparency and control”.

  • Point 1:

    Comply with the educational and information mandate

  • According to the FDP position paper ,

    reports and comments should be

    clearly separated

    .

    If it is up to the will of the liberals, entertainment and sports should have a “subordinate rank”.

    The broadcasters should not take part in "outbidding competitions, for example for the broadcasting rights of major sporting events".

    Overall, the FDP calls for "balanced, politically neutral and regionally differentiated reporting that covers a broad social spectrum."

  • Point 2:

    Suspend the increase in the license fee

  • Actually, the license fee is always adjusted.

    In its position paper, however, the FDP calls for the

    increases in broadcasting fees to be suspended

    .

    "Around 8.4 billion euros in premium income is a global record," the paper says.

  • Point 3:

    Cap the salary of the top staff of the broadcasters

  • When it came out that the RBB director Patricia Schlesinger was allegedly managing in her own pocket, the anger was great.

    But even without nepotism, the directors earn a decent amount: the director of the WDR gets about 413,000 euros.

    In comparison, Olaf Scholz comes to 200,000 euros.

    In its position paper, the FDP demands that

    no director "should earn more than the Federal Chancellor"

    .

    In addition, the Liberals want to introduce “more uniform compliance rules”.

  • Point 4:

    Independent control of broadcasters

  • From the point of view of the FDP,

    more control

    bodies are needed .

    ARD, ZDF and Co. are to be checked by “independent, external third parties”.

    The "privileges of public service broadcasting" compared to private competitors should also be put to the test.

  • Item 5:

    Leaner administrative structures

  • The Freedom Party proposes a merger of various public broadcasters - such as cooperation between Saarland Broadcasting (SR) and Südwestrundfunk (SWR).

    Digitization is obviously not only an important point in the FDP party program, but also a proposal for the public sector.

Public broadcasting: what for anyway?

For some, the question may arise: What do we actually need public service broadcasting for?

In fact, ARD, ZDF and Co. are an important pillar of the media landscape.

They are independent of the state, but not organized as a private sector.

In this way, they should contribute to the free and individual formation of opinions - how the public broadcasters are allowed to report is clearly regulated in the Interstate Media Treaty (formerly: Interstate Broadcasting Treaty).

Of course, privately organized media must also comply with constitutional requirements and reflect “diversity” in their reporting.

However, according to a judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1986, the same requirements do not apply here.

It used to be called the GEZ fee, today it is the broadcasting fee.

It is 18.36 euros per month, even for people who do not use the public broadcasters and offers.

Consumers in Germany can only be exempted from the obligation to contribute under certain circumstances, for example if they receive social benefits.

For this reason, some speak of a “compulsory contribution” when it comes to the broadcasting fee, others of a “democracy levy” that is intended to contribute to a balanced formation of opinion.

ARD and ZDF, for example, have correspondents and a reliable network for obtaining information, which is extremely important, especially in times of crisis.

At the same time, however, the public must also put up with criticism, for example at presumably unnecessary costs.

"The fact that ARD, ZDF and Phoenix broadcast live and in parallel from the Queen's funeral from London and each have their own staff in London clearly shows that there is considerable potential for savings," said Christian Lindner, head of the FDP and Federal Finance Minister, of the

Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung

.

Media policy in Germany is a matter for the federal states.

An amended state treaty could be signed by the prime ministers as early as October.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-09-26

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