Clemens Pig advertises 13 ORF director positions – NEOS push for reform

Salaries and structures

The salary structure is part of the public debate: most directors on the Küniglberg currently earn around 270,000 euros gross per year, regional directors around 220,000 euros. For the future regional directors, a minimum annual gross salary of 95,132.80 euros is envisaged for full-time employment. The discrepancies have been fueling political discussion for weeks.

The reaction from politics followed swiftly. NEOS media spokesperson Henrike Brandstötter described the procedure at a press conference on Tuesday regarding Pig's election as appearing non-transparent. "Ein neuer Name an der Spitze löst noch kein Problem", she said. While it is in principle "fair" that ORF has to save money, this must not happen at the expense of journalism. "Das soll nicht beim Journalismus passieren." Savings are rather possible by eliminating duplication and removing inefficient structures.

NEOS criticism

Brandstötter took sharp aim at the current Foundation Council chairman Heinz Lederer and called for an ORF reform along the motto of "Reformieren statt demolieren". The broadcaster does not belong to certain "Gremienkaisern", but to the citizens. "Alle sollen die gleichen Chancen haben." The NEOS also demand a broad review of the "zahlreichen Compliance-Fälle", which must not be "unter den Tisch gekehrt werden dürften".

Specifically, the media spokesperson named several names from ORF's history where she sees problems. In addition to former ORF chief Roland Weißmann, she mentioned ORF-3 managing director Peter Schöber, Enterprise chief Oliver Böhm, former Director General Alexander Wrabetz as well as ORF manager Pius Strobl. The list is seen as an indication of which candidates the NEOS view critically and who, in the opposition party's view, should no longer hold leadership responsibility in the future.

Pig's understanding of reform

The spokesperson also identifies "Interessenskonflikte" with Pig's previous work as a consultant, without substantiating this accusation in detail. She warns that the current reform debate at the top of ORF is missing the point. "Der ORF braucht keinen neuen Anstrich, er braucht ein völlig neues Fundament." The criticism targets structures, not primarily the person Pig.

The designated Director General himself also had his say. He compares the discussions about ORF to a "Schallplatte, die hängengeblieben ist": "Die Politik hat viel zu lange weggeschaut und mitgemacht." The upcoming reform should make ORF "für die Zukunft resilient", that is, put it on a crisis-proof footing. Pig emphasized that the core points are information, culture, education and content, "die zu unserer Identität beitragen".

The political fronts are hardened. Brandstötter criticized the current director search procedure, whose application phase already ends on 14 July. She sees in it an attempt to sideline unwanted internal competition. The director positions are the key posts at which it will be decided whether ORF is actually reformed or whether only heads are being swapped.

Competition as a flashpoint

With regard to competition with private broadcasters, Brandstötter said: "Sie schadet den Privatsendern und dem ORF", so Brandstötter, by which she means a management practice of the public broadcaster perceived as unbalanced that puts both sides – ORF and commercial competitors – under pressure. The reform debate thus also becomes a debate about the role of public-service broadcasting in the Austrian media system.

The application procedure follows a clear timeline: after the end of the application phase on 14 July, the candidates are to be reviewed in a documented process, interviews held and the selection completed by the appointment on 21 October. Before that comes the constituent meeting of the new Foundation Council, which in turn sets the course for the new Director General. Only afterwards can Pig formally appoint the directors.

Observers view the advertisement as a litmus test of whether the designated Director General is truly daring a fresh start or whether continuity will prevail. The list of criteria – qualification, professional experience, management competence and fit with the task – reads generally, but leaves room for political assessment. Three weeks after the Director General election, the mood in the building and in politics is tense.

What comes next

The coming months are considered decisive: by the end of the year, the new leadership team must be in place, ORF needs budgetary certainty for 2027 and must simultaneously manage a course of austerity dictated by the savings measures adopted by the Foundation Council. The director positions are the most financially weighty levers that a Director General can fill under his own responsibility.

At the end stands a broadcaster with two parallel narratives. The one, from Pig's circle, speaks of a spirit of departure, professionalization and generational change. The other, from the ranks of the opposition party NEOS, speaks of missed opportunities, non-transparency and a house that cannot reform itself. Which reading prevails will become clear once the first names appear on the new business cards.

Regardless of the political assessment, one thing is clear: with the advertisement of 13 leadership positions in a single act, the upcoming ORF year is one of the most personnel-intensive in the broadcaster's history. The course is now being set – the result will only become visible after the appointment on 21 October.