Before the appointment of the Director-General

Nerves are on edge at Küniglberg

The Foundation Board will appoint a new director on June 11.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Ten days before the application deadline for the ORF Director General, nerves are on edge at Küniglberg. The current source of unease is the question of whether the favorite, APA Managing Director Clemens Pig, meets the selection criteria. Not everyone in the ÖVP is entirely convinced by the planned appointment of the Tyrolean. The first opposing candidates are already coming out of the woodwork.

ORF Magazine Editor-in-Chief Lisa Totzauer will also be applying. The 56-year-old ran unsuccessfully in the last election five years ago. According to reports, she was not encouraged to run by any political party, but apparently intends to position herself as the employees’ candidate.

“We are not powerless”
“We can reform this organization. We are not powerless. There can be an ORF where programming comes first, where we reach everyone with relevant content across a wide variety of platforms, and where women and men feel safe and valued,” she writes in an email to the staff.

Lisa Totzauer is the first to come forward.(Bild: APA/HERBERT NEUBAUER)

The Board of Trustees will appoint a new general director on June 11.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

In addition to Totzauer, who ran unsuccessfully five years ago, media executive Markus Breitenecker—co-founder of “Puls 4” and most recently a board member at ProSiebenSat1 in Munich—could also apply. For Pig, things could still get tight in the final stretch. Not only is he not without controversy within the ÖVP, but there are also questions about whether he even meets the application criteria.

Pig lacks radio and television experience
The new ORF General Director must “be able to demonstrate relevant prior education or five years of relevant professional experience or experience in a field related to the scope of duties,” the job posting states verbatim. Peter Westenthaler, a member of the Foundation Board appointed by the FPÖ, believes that “relevant professional experience” means television and radio experience. However, the favorite, APA Managing Director Clemens Pig, cannot demonstrate this.

Appointment Could End Up in Court
“According to my information, three proven television managers intend to apply,” Westenthaler said in an interview with the “Krone.” If they meet all the requirements but are passed over, the expected appointment of Pig could end up in court and be overturned, Westenthaler warns.

Peter Westenthaler is in opposition to the black-red leadership of the foundation’s board.(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

The ÖVP camp is playing it down. They believe that the term “relevant and related professional experience” does not explicitly require radio and television experience. Thus, Pig is qualified.

Tiroler is not supported by all ÖVP states
The 51-year-old Tyrolean is supported by the ÖVP provinces in the west. The powerful state organizations in Upper Austria and Lower Austria are reportedly said to have favored “Kronehit” managing director Philipp König. According to the coalition agreement, the ÖVP has the right to nominate the head of the ORF. Pig is considered Chancellor Christian Stocker’s candidate. Interim head Ingrid Thurnher is said to have no long-term ambitions for the position.

All other posts were also divided between the ÖVP and the SPÖ: Harlad Kräuter remains technical director, and the commercial director is to be a woman. Plans to entrust König with this position under Pig have been scrapped. The ÖVP is determined to have a woman in this role. This leaves the position of Program Director for the SPÖ. The SPÖ-aligned editor Thomas Langpaul is set to take this role. However, he has no experience in this field. Langpaul was a domestic politics journalist and U.S. correspondent.

SPÖ is divided over Foundation Board Chair Lederer
Much like the ÖVP, the SPÖ is also divided over the ORF. The right-wing faction led by Burgenland Governor Hans Peter Doskozil is calling for the resignation of the SPÖ-affiliated Foundation Board Chairman Heinz Lederer following the unfortunate handling of the situation surrounding former ORF General Director Roland Weißmann. However, Lederer is supported by SPÖ leader Andreas Babler and Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig.

Given the disagreement within the ÖVP and SPÖ, it cannot be entirely ruled out that there will be a surprise, as there was in the first election of Alexander Wrabetz. After all, the vote is secret. Wrabetz owed his success in 2006 to a coalition of the SPÖ, the Greens, and the FPÖ, as well as the votes of the works councils against the ruling ÖVP.