“Voice of Austria”
The ORF’s Many Sins: What Now?
It is a bitter Holy Week at Küniglberg. The public broadcaster has slid into a deep crisis—but what form should the penance take? What do license fee payers demand from the ORF so they can regain trust? Join the discussion with us as the “Voice of Austria.”
A peaceful Easter holiday is certainly not on the horizon for the ORF’s new Director General. Ingrid Thurnher has inherited a long list of transgressions from her predecessor. No one could have guessed that Roland Weißmann’s resignation over allegations made by a female employee was just the beginning—since then, not only has his rival Pius Strobl come under fire for threatening to sue over a 2.4 million euro pension, but the Foundation Board itself has also faced criticism following several advisory inconsistencies.
Shortly thereafter, serious allegations of abuse by several women against a former employee followed. And this week, the annual “Gage Kaiser” list—led, of all things, by the biggest problem cases within the corporation—put a (provisional) end to the current crisis.
Resignation
It has been only three weeks since the bombshell dropped: Roland Weißmann announced his resignation as Director General of ORF. A female employee accuses him of sexual harassment, which he continues to deny. From his perspective, it was a consensual relationship. The case will likely still be before the courts. Ingrid Thurnher was appointed as interim successor and promised to get to the bottom of the matter. But now the scramble for the top job is just beginning—because new elections are coming up in August.
Abuse
A few days ago, the “Krone” published allegations made by a woman who is now 54 years old: She described how, at the age of just 13, she was abused by a former ORF employee. Since then, additional alleged victims have come forward. The ORF has already stated its intention to cooperate with the investigation. In principle, the ORF has its own channels through which employees can report concerns. Yet even at Küniglberg, they have had to admit that victims rarely turn to these channels.
Salaries
Once a year, the ORF must publish its highest earners. The top 3: all of them problematic cases. In first place this year is Security Officer Pius Strobl with a gross annual salary of 468,856 euros. He also intends to sue for a 2.4 million euro pension when he retires in 2027. He is followed by the resigned Weißmann with 427,500 euros and former sports director Johannes Aigelsreiter, whose inglorious departure was sweetened with an annual salary of 339,824 euros.
Foundation Board
After Weißmann criticized the Foundation Board’s actions in the wake of his resignation, the Board itself came under scrutiny. The board remains politically entrenched, a fact that alone rubs many critics the wrong way. The fact that three ORF companies were on board as sponsors at an event organized by Foundation Board member Gregor Schütze, or that Chairman Heinz Lederer appears in the Benko files, earned them headlines. Both insist that all activities have been reviewed for compatibility.
License Fees
In the past, one only had to credibly assure the “GIS agent” that one did not consume any ORF products to avoid the fee. Since 2024, every household has been required to pay 15.30 euros per month. Of course, there has already been trouble at the new ORF subsidiary OBS as well: Following a flood of complaints from citizens against OBS notices, Managing Director Alexander Hirschbeck had to step down once again. He was replaced last summer by Bettina Parschalk.
Departure
The ORF accused sports director Hannes Aigelsreiter of “conduct detrimental to the company” and parted ways with him in October 2025. His relationship with both superiors and colleagues such as Rainer Pariasek is said to have been difficult, to put it mildly. An unauthorized interview was the final straw. But his departure is costing ORF a pretty penny, as evidenced by Aigelsreiter’s annual salary increase of 114,968 euros...
Join the discussion!
No wonder the public is up in arms. After all, ever since the introduction of the mandatory household fee, there’s been no way to avoid helping to fund these abuses.
Der ORF in der Krise. Was würden Sie ändern?
Lassen Sie es uns in unserem Forum wissen:
Wir sind auf Ihre Vorschläge gespannt!
What does the “Voice of Austria” have to say about this? The “Krone” wants to know from you: What needs to be done so that you, too, can regain trust in the ORF? What do you want from Küniglberg? The election for the new Director General is also coming up in August—if you could decide, who should hold this important position? Should it continue to be the Foundation Board, dear experts, or the license fee payers themselves? Tell us your opinion—here on krone.at or by email at leser@kronenzeitung.at.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,
die Kommentarfunktion steht Ihnen ab 6 Uhr wieder wie gewohnt zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
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