Thurnher takes over

“Dictatorship”: Sparks fly even before ORF meeting

From left: Deputy Foundation Chairman Gregor Schütze, ORF Director Ingrid Thurnher, and Foundation Board Chairman Heinz Lederer(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Following the resignation of the ORF's director general, Ingrid Thurnher was appointed interim head of the state broadcaster on Thursday in a turbulent meeting. The circumstances are "anything but pleasant," she said in an initial statement.

Now Roland Weißmann's future lies in the hands of Ingrid Thurnher: the ORF veteran was unanimously entrusted with the interim management of the public broadcaster at the meeting of the Foundation Board – and thus she will also decide on Weißmann's future role at ORF. He is still employed there, and his resignation as director general due to allegations of sexual harassment has not changed that.

However, that was the only point on which agreement was reached during Thursday's long and heated meeting. The "Krone" newspaper was there: right at the start, FP council member Peter Westenthaler accused Küniglberg of being a "dictatorship," announced a "day of reckoning," and declared: "The ORF's reputation is damaged, if not destroyed." Weißmann had a right to present his view. However, he was not present. After the allegations were presented, Westenthaler was visibly shocked and described them as "horrific": "This is strong stuff. What happened is unacceptable." Nevertheless, he said, there were no grounds for criminal charges.

From left: Deputy Foundation Chairman Gregor Schütze, ORF Director Ingrid Thurnher, and Foundation Board Chairman Heinz Lederer(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

And: "Chairman Heinz Lederer's misconduct has caused costs for ORF. He forfeited the opportunity to dismiss Weißmann immediately, which would have been possible once the allegations became known." The SP chairman, of course, saw things differently: "We answered all the questions." He said he was mainly pleased that Thurnher had been unanimously accepted.

"The 4,000 employees do not deserve the current image of ORF."
The new Director General said, visibly emotional: "I am taking on this task with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it is an incredible honor to be allowed to lead this company. On the other hand, the circumstances are anything but pleasant. It is important for me to say that the 4,000 employees do not deserve the image that ORF currently has. One thing is clear: in the future, there will only be full transparency at ORF, with all that this entails. Because power means responsibility. The most important thing is to regain the trust of the audience."

She will also apply to hold the position for the rest of the year. She did not say no to applying for the new term starting in 2027 either.

Thurnher: From TV announcer to ORF boss
Thurnher, 63, is one of the most familiar faces at ORF and has held almost every position at the country's largest media company during her 40-year career. The Vorarlberg native's career path took her from TV announcer, the Lower Austria regional studio, and the domestic politics editorial department at the radio station to presenting on "ZiB," "ZiB 2," and "Im Zentrum" to editor-in-chief at ORF III and finally to the radio directorate.

The ORF Foundation Board chose her because she embodies the "public service DNA." She has always placed independence at the top of her agenda and has been an outstanding editor-in-chief and director, according to a press conference on Wednesday with Foundation Board Chairman Lederer and his deputy Gregor Schütze.