Simone Stribl announces ORF "Summer Talks" without light fare

Kickl as guest and the question of public-service broadcasting

Stribl sees this year's edition primarily as a substantive engagement with the guests. "We know them, and therefore this year it's mainly about the content," she said. She also answered a question about any surprise at being asked again: "It was already clear that the 'Summer Talks' would take place at the ORF this year when I was asked." Herbert Kickl will also appear as a guest, which is all the more sensitive given that Kickl advocates for a "public-service broadcaster" funded from the federal budget.

Regarding the current framework conditions, APA pointed out that the federal government had only recently finalized that the ORF must save a further 93 million euros per year. Stribl, who has been working in the ORF news division for 18 years, appeared at the same time unfazed with regard to the team's efficiency: "I have been working in the ORF news division for 18 years, and during that time we have become increasingly efficient in the way we work."

Budget cuts at ORF as a framework condition

The ORF moderator also spoke in the interview about her journalistic routine outside the Summer Talks. "For example, I now moderate 'ZiBs' in the morning, as well as discussion formats like the 'ZiB Talk,'" she explained. In doing so, she underscored that the Summer Talks are only part of her broad range of responsibilities at the ORF.

Stribl differentiated between various interview formats and their respective merits. "But it's also great when you have time - like now with the 'Summer Talks' - and can prepare in a structured way and then let a certain dynamic develop," she said. This time for structured preparation is, for her as a journalist, an essential aspect.

Substantive depth instead of summer chitchat

At the same time, Stribl acknowledged that there is a great deal of public discussion surrounding the format. "Of course, there are also a lot of opinions about how the 'Summer Talks' should be, and a lot of uproar on social networks," she observed. When asked by APA what she particularly remembered from the conversations six years ago, she stated: "It won't be any different with these 'Summer Talks' either."

With her explicit announcement that she does not want to conduct "light summer interviews," Stribl has already set a tone toward substantive depth even before the show begins. The combination of politically sensitive guests like Kickl, financial pressure to save costs, and the return of an experienced domestic politics journalist suggests an edition that will be more than just summer chitchat.