It's every man for himself

This is how the power struggle at Küniglberg is escalating

A full-blown mudslinging match is raging at ORF(Bild: HANS PUNZ)

The intrigues at Küniglberg are reaching such proportions that the situation is slowly becoming confusing. While the foundation board leadership, consisting of Heinz Lederer and Gregor Schütze, aims to navigate the crisis as quickly as possible by bringing forward the election of the general director, the affair surrounding the resigned General Roland Weißmann is escalating.

The top leadership of the Foundation Board wants to push through the appointment of the regular General Director—whose term begins in 2027—not in August as planned, but already at the scheduled Foundation Board meeting on June 11. Interestingly, the Foundation Board members appointed by the FPÖ also want an early election, but for different reasons. Corresponding motions will be introduced at today’s meeting. Ingrid Thurnher will also be elected as interim head until the end of 2026.

A full-blown mudslinging battle is raging at ORF(Bild: HANS PUNZ)

Foundation Board leadership wants to weather the crisis
The reason given for bringing the election forward is the desire to quickly clarify the situation. Observers, however, believe that Lederer and Schütze, who have come under fire, want to weather the crisis as quickly as possible and remove themselves from the line of fire. FPÖ Foundation Board members Peter Westenthaler and Christoph Urtz have filed a complaint against Lederer and Schütze with KommAustria; the FPÖ is demanding their resignation. However, the two have no intention of stepping down, and they cannot be removed against their will.

FPÖ media spokesperson Hafenecker calls on Media Minister Babler to take responsibility (file photo).(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

FPÖ media spokesperson Christian Hafenecker is making the events at ORF the topic of the “Aktuelle Stunde” during tomorrow’s National Council session; a heated debate is expected. The FPÖ accuses SPÖ Media Minister Andreas Babler of inaction.

Babler wants to cap ORF executive salaries 
Babler himself is at least addressing the issue of excessive executive salaries and proposes a cap set at the level of the Federal President’s salary (currently 27,421 euros).

• According to the transparency report, there are 65 employees at ORF who earn over 170,000 euros.

• The top 12 at ORF earn over 270,000 euros. 

“There are still people at ORF who earn more than the President of Austria. That is simply indecent. Placing ORF executives above the President of Austria—there is no place for such a thing in a public broadcaster,” Babler told the “Krone.”

One of the top earners was former General Director Weißmann, who is demanding four million euros in compensation from the ORF and whose sexual harassment scandal is escalating rapidly. After Weißmann was cleared of sexual harassment charges by a compliance commission, the woman involved went public with private chats.

Weißmann is taking legal action against the publication and is demanding that the compliance report be submitted to the ORF Foundation Board. This, he argues, would enable the board members to make an objective and comprehensive assessment of the relationship between him and the ORF employee who accuses him of misconduct. According to Weißmann’s attorney, Oliver Scherbaum, the published messages “do not convey an accurate overall picture of the actual relationship and the underlying dynamics.”