Seven candidates officially apply for ORF General Director position

Who is running?

Among the applicants are well-known names from the Austrian media industry. Clemens Pig, until recently head of the Austria Presse Agentur, said he stands for "publizistische Unabhängigkeit". Trust requires "ein redaktionelles Selbstverständnis, das nicht aus einem Milieu für ein Milieu sendet, sondern aus der demokratischen Mitte für das ganze Land arbeitet". Pig was previously employed at APA.

Eva Schütz, co-owner of the tabloid platform Exxpress, is also a candidate. From private television comes the former CEO of the broadcaster group ProSieben.Sat1.Puls4 Austria, Markus Breitenecker. He said that at ORF one must open up the "eigenen Werte-Korridor so weit", "dass sich marktliberale, konservative und ordnungspolitische Positionen in der Berichterstattung ebenso wiederfinden wie liberal-progressive Grundhaltungen".

Johannes Larcher, who has held management positions at Hulu and HBO, is also applying for the General Director position. He criticizes that on ZiB2, commentary and reporting are not sufficiently separated. When asked, he cannot provide examples. One knows anyway what is meant. From ORF's own ranks come ORF III co-managing director Kathrin Zierhut-Kunz and ORF magazine chief editor Lisa Totzauer. The field is completed by former ServusTV editor-in-chief Robert Altenburger.

The official hearings of the Foundation Council will take place on Thursday prior to the appointment of the new ORF leadership at the ORF Center. Following the hearings, the 35 Foundation Council members are called upon to cast their votes. The appointment of the General Director is made by simple majority. If no candidate receives at least 18 of the 35 votes in the first ballot, a second ballot is required, in which only the two candidates with the most votes in the first round stand for election. In the event of a tie, the chair's vote decides, in this case that of the SPÖ-nominated Heinz Lederer.

Hearings and Election Procedure

Already on Monday evening, the seven official candidates will face questions from the audience, the workforce, and members of ORF bodies in a debate. ORF III and ORF ON will broadcast the discussion, moderated by ORF III editor-in-chief Lou Lorenz-Dittlbacher, on a delayed basis starting at 20:15. The candidates will be introduced in alphabetical order.

New Rules under the EMFA

The appointment follows the provisions of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) for the first time. Under the EMFA, the members of the Foundation Council must justify their decision for a person and explain why they consider that person more suitable than the other candidates. This will be recorded in the minutes but not published. The act of voting in a voting booth is in itself secret, but the ballots are marked with names.

With the new rules, the ORF leadership election is more transparent and clearly framed under European law. At the same time, the substantive direction of the future General Director remains a politically charged question, as the commentary by Hans Rauscher under the title "Werte-Korridor öffnen?" (Hans Rauscher, 8.6.2026) shows. The candidates' application speeches, from "publizistische Unabhängigkeit" to the demand for a broader "Werte-Korridor", mark the range of the debate about the public-service mandate.