Broadcasting fee: KEF apparently wants to recommend increase to 18.94 euros

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Brand logos of ARD, ZDF and 3sat (at the Frankfurt Book Fair): Moderate? Or a measure full?

Photo: Arne Dedert / picture alliance/dpa

According to preliminary calculations by financial experts, the broadcasting fee should increase by 2025 cents from 18.36 euros per month to 58.18 euros from 94. According to information from the German Press Agency, this emerges from a draft of the expert committee KEF that became known on Friday. At the beginning of 2024, the Commission for the Determination of the Financial Needs of Broadcasters intends to make a final recommendation to the federal states, which will have the final say on the amount of the contribution. However, they must be closely aligned with the KEF recommendation.

The public service broadcasting, consisting of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio, is mainly financed by revenues from the broadcasting fee paid by households and companies. In 2022, 8.4 billion euros were raised for media companies. The amount of the contribution is set out in an international treaty, which must be approved unanimously by all states.

With the recommendation for an increase in the contribution, which has now become more likely, there is a risk of a conflict. After all, several prime ministers made it clear weeks and months ago that they would not support an increase because they did not see any acceptance among the population. If these states were to resist an increase, it is to be expected that the dispute could end up before the Federal Constitutional Court.

Again and again, the heads of the federal states, who are against a plus, also refer to the scandal at the ARD broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). The broadcaster plunged into a deep crisis in the summer of 2022 over allegations of nepotism and waste. There were personnel consequences at the top. The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office is still investigating. In addition, a committee of inquiry is underway in the Brandenburg state parliament.

Criticism came from the media industry of the heads of the federal states, who have already committed themselves to contribution stability. The reason for this was that they had already done this at an early stage – while the KEF calculations were still in progress – and thus virtually anticipated the result. With the KEF, the review of financial requirements is organised independently of the state.

Saxony's Media Minister Oliver Schenk (CDU) told dpa that he did not expect the states to unanimously agree to the increase. "You can see that the reform efforts of the institutions were not sufficient to achieve the goal of contribution stability." He added: "That is why further efforts are now needed by institutions and politicians to avoid an increase in contributions."

The public institutions point out that costs have risen due to inflation alone. There was talk of a moderate declaration of financial requirements for the years 2025 to 2028. The current period runs until the end of 2024, at least until then, the monthly broadcasting fee of 18.36 euros applies.

The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe had already been involved in the last change. ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio had sued because the state of Saxony-Anhalt had resisted an increase. There was no necessary vote in the state parliament in Magdeburg. At that time, however, Saxony-Anhalt around Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) stood alone. At that time – unlike this time – all other federal states were prepared to agree to the increase. In the end, the Federal Constitutional Court judges put the increase of 86 cents from 17.50 euros to 18.36 euros into effect and reprimanded Saxony-Anhalt.

The licence fee is part of the structure laid down by the federal states for public service broadcasting in state treaties. In it, they describe the rough structure of the houses, the control mechanisms, also with a view to economical management of the money from the broadcasting fees and the mission that the broadcasters are supposed to fulfil for society. It is not about specific program content. The Länder have no influence on this, because freedom of the press and broadcasting are guaranteed in Germany by the Basic Law. The order also specifies the financial requirements of the institutions, which they submit to the KEF for review.

feb/dpa