A Surprising Turn of Events

ORF Foundation Board Member Schütze Throws in the Towel

The ÖVP circle of friends on the ORF Foundation Board needs a new leader: Gregor Schütze is stepping down from his position.(Bild: Imre Antal)

Thirteen new appointments and one departure that no one at Küniglberg could have anticipated: On the very day that the ORF finalized its new leadership team, ÖVP Foundation Board member Gregor Schütze pulled the plug and announced his resignation.

It was all over, really. The 13 directors had been appointed, and the new leadership team led by future ORF boss Clemens Pig was now complete. But then, of all people, Gregor Schütze caused yet another bombshell at the end of the contentious Foundation Board meeting! The former deputy to Foundation Board Chair Heinz Lederer is throwing in the towel and stepping down from the ORF board.

Together with his Socialist counterpart Heinz Lederer (right), Gregor Schütze has faced fierce criticism in recent months.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

“However, this is not only a milestone for the ORF, but also for me personally,” Schütze explained in a letter he read aloud at the end of the Foundation Board meeting. With today’s appointment, his work is apparently done: “Following this meeting, I will step down from my role as a member of the ORF Foundation Board effective today,” said Schütze, who was also absent from the presentation of the new directors this afternoon. He said he wants to focus exclusively on his company again in the future.

Departure After Turbulent Months
The past few months had thoroughly shaken up the ORF and repeatedly put Schütze himself in a tight spot. Together with Lederer, he was often the target of criticism. This period had “put us all to the test,” Schütze said. At the same time, however, it demonstrated “that the ORF is resilient enough to weather major crises.” For him, leaving the ORF during these “turbulent times” had “never been an option.”

In addition to addressing “a wide variety of problems,” his goal had been to “usher in a new era.” After all, he said, the ORF needed to be “fundamentally transformed,” as its “structures have become outdated.” At the end of the letter, Schütze thanked all members of the Foundation Board, “especially Chairman Heinz Lederer for the good cooperation.”

Ethics Council Reportedly Reprimanded Armin Wolf for “Schütze” Post
Incidentally, during Schütze’s last Foundation Board meeting, there were reportedly also consequences for another prominent ORF figure: According to FPÖ Foundation Board member Peter Westenthaler, the Ethics Council ruled that Armin Wolf’s post targeting “Exxpress” editor-in-chief Eva Schütz violated the code of ethics. The ZiB2 anchor had expressed frustration over Schütz’s application for the position of ORF Director General and called her media outlet a “racist fake news mill.”