Cost-Cutting Plan Takes Shape

Mass Layoffs: Up to 250 ORF Employees to Be Let Go

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22.10.2026 16:17

It was no longer a secret, but for many ORF employees, the extent of the cuts likely came as a surprise: Austria’s public broadcaster must make deep cuts—and on a larger scale than anticipated. 

This is evident from a letter from Director General Ingrid Thurnher to the staff, which was made public on Thursday. According to the plan, cuts will be made at the subsidiary OMC, which oversees marketing for the entire organization. The ORF Shop (merchandise) and “ORF Stars” (which arranges appearances by the organization’s prominent figures for event organizers) departments will be shut down. Twenty positions are set to be eliminated.

“The audience will feel it”
“I’ve said from the very beginning: These cuts will shake the ORF to its core, and yes: The audience will feel it,” writes Thurnher.

Ingrid Thurnher outlines potential cost-saving measures for her successor, Clemens Pig.
Ingrid Thurnher outlines potential cost-saving measures for her successor, Clemens Pig.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Payments to pension funds will be suspended, “strict limits must be set on overtime and lump-sum payments,” and all additional payments must be “rigorously evaluated.” We need to consider zero wage increases; not everyone currently employed at ORF will be able to keep their job, according to Thurnher.

It’s supposed to affect all departments
Nothing is set in stone, but the picture became clearer in the afternoon. The ORF Finance Committee met for a special session, and tempers flared. For the first time, a specific number emerged from negotiating circles: 200 to 250 employees are expected to have to leave the company by 2029, and the cost-cutting plan is set to affect all departments. Furthermore, plans to completely shut down ORF III rather than integrating it into the main organization are taking shape.

The 2027 budget will be approved on November 26 at a meeting of the ORF Foundation Board. As reported, losses of up to 30 million euros are expected next year, and the shortfall will grow even larger in the years that follow. 

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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