ORF Election: Candidates Campaign with Plans for Young and Regional Programming to Win Over Film and Music Industry

Clemens Pig, currently CEO of APA, emphasized the special role of producers. They are not merely suppliers but an integral part of the public service mandate: "It is part of the public service mandate." Pig advocated for distinctive, Austrian programming that reaches people from different regions of the country. He assured the producers present of more predictability, instead of the current "stop-and-go" policy that causes uncertainty.

Pig: More Predictability and Support for Emerging Talent

Furthermore, Pig intends to bring more expertise from the industry into ORF and proposed initiatives such as "Writer-Rooms" for young screenwriters and collaborations with film schools. This would enable the public broadcaster to continue fostering creative talent and to be more closely integrated with the domestic educational landscape.

Markus Breitenecker, former CEO of ProSiebenSat.1Puls4, aims to orient ORF more strongly towards young target groups and to expand ORF ON as the central streaming platform. He criticized the lack of "predictability, reliability." If savings are necessary, they should not come from these 100 million euros, he stated, referring to the funds ORF invests in the film industry.

Breitenecker and Larcher Focus on Young Target Groups

Johannes Larcher, who previously worked for major international providers like HBO Max and Hulu, wants to specifically distribute content for young people via digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. "We cannot afford not to be present there," he said. He aims to attract young creators from the social media scene to ORF and collaborate with them. Regional programming is a strength that international streaming providers cannot match: "No HBO, no Netflix can compete with that."

Larcher also supports the streaming levy proposed by the Ministry of Media, which would obligate international corporations to invest in the domestic market. He promised producers a fixed, annual financing volume: "I can promise that I will advocate for a fixed, annual volume." He did not yet name an exact sum.

Totzauer: Programming as Core Mandate

Lisa Totzauer, head of ORF magazines, underscored the role of programming as the broadcaster's core mandate: "Programming is our reason for existence." No one pays the monthly household fee of 15.30 euros "for bureaucracy," Totzauer stated. She called for streamlining structures and shortening decision-making processes to better involve partners from the industry. It is important to "get out of the reach logic" – content does not always have to achieve maximum ratings, but rather unfold societal impact.

Totzauer referred to a recently concluded school project where young people had abstained from using their mobile phones for weeks. Although the experiment did not achieve top ratings on television, the societal "impact" was "huge." If she were to become Director General, she would want to increase the Austrian content share on the radio program Ö3 by ten percent. The focus must also be placed on more regional programming.

Concern Over Cuts from Austerity Package

ORF III CEO Kathrin Zierhut-Kunz warned of the consequences of the austerity package planned by the government. The cuts amounting to almost 100 million euros per year – in addition to an already existing austerity package – would represent a "massive intervention in programming." The aim is to win back the audience through programming, but they will have to manage with significantly fewer resources.

Eva Schütz, publisher of Exxpress, advocated for more in-house productions. In the interest of efficient competition, these should also be opened up to private entities that produce public service content. Overall, the six candidates stood behind the importance of the domestic film and music industry for ORF – all of them pledged that the best candidate should receive the Director General's seat at ORF.

The hearing is considered an important mood indicator in the selection process for ORF leadership. The applicants must face further discussions in the coming weeks before the Supervisory Board decides on the successor. Industry representatives interpreted the signals as an indication that the future leadership intends to maintain the investment volume for domestic content, despite the announced austerity measures.