Appeal to the New Boss

ORF Faces Massive Cuts: Staff Sounds the Alarm

The ORF III staff fears the end of programs such as “Land der Berge.”(Bild: Krone-Collage/ORF, Jan/stock.adobe.com)

The ORF is facing painful budget cuts: 50 percent of the programming budget is set to be slashed. The staff of ORF III is warning of drastic cuts to popular shows and appealing to management.

Programs such as “Land der Berge,” “Runde der ChefredakteurInnen,” and prime-time operas could fall victim to the cost-cutting measures, the staff warns in an open letter to Director General Ingrid Thurnher and Director General-designate Clemens Pig. The employees are urging management to reconsider the cost-cutting plans.

“Defiant of Economic Logic”
Cutting the programming budget in half is not only “unprecedented,” but—given ORF III’s comparatively low production costs and salaries—would “defy all economic logic,” write Works Council Chair Emily Erhold and her co-signers.

They point out that 15 years of development work—which Ingrid Thurnher herself helped build as ORF III’s editor-in-chief for several years—would be “undone” by the cost-cutting plans. Many employees are worried about losing their jobs. They are “deeply” unsettled.

“Must Make a Contribution”
In their open letter, the staff emphasizes that “ORF III, too, must do its part to meet the cost-cutting targets.” However, they strongly oppose the idea that programs and jobs should be “sacrificed to a disproportionate and company-damaging cost-cutting policy.”