ZDF's program director, Norbert Himmler, was elected as the new artistic director by the broadcaster's television council on Friday in the third ballot.

Himmler received 57 out of sixty votes.

There was one no and two abstentions.

Himmler received long applause.

He thanked you for the trust and accepted the election, said Himmler.

Michael Hanfeld

responsible editor for features online and "media".

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    Tina Hassel, head of the ARD capital studio, had previously withdrawn her candidacy before the third ballot.

    Hassel said she wanted a small majority to become a large one for her competitor, ZDF program director Himmler, in the interests of public broadcasting.

    She was riding, said Hassel, with her head held high, and wished Himmler luck.

    They both wanted the same thing - a strong public service broadcaster.

    By noon, neither of the two had received the required majority in the first two ballots.

    Rather, there is a stalemate between the “red” and the “black” circle of friends of the committee.

    In the first ballot, Tina Hassel received 24 votes and Norbert Himmler received 34 votes; two of the sixty broadcasting councilors abstained.

    With this, Norbert Himmler only just missed the necessary three-fifths majority of 36 votes.

    In the second ballot, Tina Hassel caught up and lost Norbert Himmler's votes.

    Now 28 broadcasting councilors voted for the ARD journalist, 32 for the ZDF program director.

    There were no abstentions in the second ballot.

    After the results of the first round had been announced, a second ballot was decided.

    After the second round, the broadcasting councils decided to interrupt the meeting and withdrew into the “circle of friends”, ie the two groups into which the supervisory body is divided.

    Himmler refers to the variety in programs and channels

    This initially showed a clear lead for Himmler, but also that many of the “red” circle of friends, from whose ranks Tina Hassel had been proposed as a candidate, could gain something from the candidacy. This impression strengthened with the second ballot. It had long been clear that Himmler would run. Tina Hassel's candidacy, which is said to have been launched by the State Chancellery of Rhineland-Palatinate, came as a surprise. Surprisingly for the “black circle of friends”, who had expected that the election would run to Himmler all by itself.

    The two candidates presented themselves confidently on Friday morning to the television council, which meets in the Rheingold-Halle in Mainz for pandemic reasons. They outlined their plans and program. The accents that Tina Hassel and Norbert Himmler set resembled each other in a striking way. Tina Hassel's lecture was entitled “Space for We”, while Norbert Himmler's lecture was entitled “A ZDF for Everyone”.

    Both of them attached importance to the fact that the broadcaster should strengthen the community and counteract a division in society and should promote even greater acceptance among the entire population. Hassel allowed herself a few small tips, for example by pointing out the reach success of tagesschau.de, which ZDF is lagging behind with heute.de. Himmler referred to the diversity in programs and channels that he had already created as program director, not least through innovative offers on ZDFneo and in the media library.