Calls for abolition

The dubious side businesses of ORF Foundation Board members

The Foundation Board is firmly in the grip of politics.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Its members are politically aligned and have questionable business ties: The ORF’s highest governing body, the Foundation Board, has come under scrutiny since the resignation of ORF Director General Roland Weißmann following allegations of harassment, while politicians are looking the other way.

According to the Foundation Board’s rules of procedure, its members must have business relationships or contracts with the ORF approved by the Foundation Board and disclose any conflicts of interest. Some of the 35 Foundation Board members have professions or companies that are closely intertwined with the ORF.