Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff calls for more transparency from public service broadcasters on their payment of non-tariff employees and on production costs. Of course, these items would have to be available to the supervisory bodies for their decision-making, said the CDU politician in an interview with the German Press Agency.
Better flow of information
The head of state is himself a member of the board of directors at ZDF. He said specifically about this body: “I only agree to things there if I know the facts and the figures. The flow of information must be improved.” Haseloff also wants more transparency for the public regarding personnel costs: “It must be clear to every citizen what the salary structures of the broadcasters are.”
The costs of productions should also be broken down in full for the station control bodies. So that it becomes clear, for example, why a “crime scene” costs more in one region than in another. Such key figures can be used to strengthen the comparative analysis and control of the independent finance committee KEF, which recommends the amount of the license fee after examination, and the audit offices.
Public service broadcasting has come under increasing criticism, triggered by the crisis at the ARD broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) over allegations of nepotism. Federal states, which are responsible for media policy, and broadcasters themselves are working on improving transparency in the houses. The control bodies of the RBB also came into focus amidst the allegations of felt. Their work should also be strengthened. When asked about Haseloff’s criticism, Marlehn Thieme, chairwoman of the ZDF television council as the broadcaster’s second control body, said: She thinks it’s right to say that he can only agree to things where he has sufficient transparency. At the same time, Thieme added: “If you see the ZDF financial plan, it’s a seven centimeter thick book – you can find out any number there.”
There must be a cap on directors’ salaries.
Reiner Haseloff
Prime Minister Haseloff is also in favor of capping directors’ salaries, the amount of which has recently come under more criticism. “There has to be a limit.” The public sector as a whole must come into unison when it comes to payment. The directors’ salaries are set by the stations’ boards of directors. In a dpa interview, the CDU politician defended the presence of politicians in broadcast control bodies. When asked if it would be better if there were fewer politicians on panels, he said: “No. We’re in the minority now.” Haseloff added: “Nevertheless, we have political responsibility for the broadcasters, including guarantor liability in a situation similar to insolvency. We have to be represented with the residual size that we now have after court rulings, because we have to take the blame.” State treaties for broadcasting are decided by politicians. Haseloff still does not see an increase in the broadcasting fee. “Increases are unthinkable in the current situation.” The registration phase for the broadcasters is currently underway with the finance committee KEF, which determines the need and ultimately makes a recommendation for the amount of the contribution. The states have the last word on the matter.
The broadcasting fee is currently EUR 18.36 per month, which is paid by households and companies. ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio are financed with more than eight billion euros annually. The current contribution period runs until the end of 2024. Haseloff said the broadcasters must keep an eye on their acceptance in society. “The directors who will soon be registering actually decide on the future of the public service and also on the willingness with which citizens pay their contribution.” He also advocated checking whether the start of the next contribution period could be up to two years should be postponed in order to be able to integrate the results of the reform debate.
ZDF television council examines program quality
In the spring, the ZDF television council will begin to systematically assess the quality of the ZDF program. It is about more than quotas, production costs or errors in reporting, announced TV Council Chair Marlehn Thieme. “It’s not the goal to disqualify individual shows,” she said. Rather, the supervisory body wants to ensure that as many people as possible from all social groups find themselves in the broadcaster’s offer.
Thieme did not say what concrete consequences the results of the quality tests will have. In order to develop standards for the quality of the broadcasts, the television council will also rely on external expertise. For the next two years, the committee will be advised on its work by the Mainz journalism professor Birgit Stark, the Hamburg media scientist Sascha Hölig and Philipp Künstle from the Potsdam Erich Pommer Institute.
The chair of the television council also announced that ZDF’s program guidelines, which were last drafted in 2009, are to be revised. Among other things, it will be about giving more consideration to the “diversity of life plans” in the program: “We want to position ourselves much more progressively.” A draft will probably be presented to the television council in the middle of the year. (dpa/epd)
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