Germany: a financial scandal in public broadcasting revives the debate on its cost

ARD headquarters in Berlin in September 2016 (Illustrative image).

AFP - JOHN MACDOUGALL

Text by: Pascal Thibaut Follow

3 mins

A scandal is currently splattering the German public broadcaster, one of the most powerful in the world.

This story concerns a leading figure: Patricia Schlesinger ran the first public television channel ARD until her resignation.

The reputation of this media giant is scratched, reforms seem urgent.

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With our correspondent in Berlin, 

Patricia Schlesinger started out as a journalist and enjoyed a solid reputation when she took the reins of the public radio and television station RBB, which broadcasts in Berlin and Brandenburg.

This station is one of the components of the first public channel ARD, which the journalist ran.

Revelations in the press on consultancy contracts for which conflicts of interest are suspected, including for the benefit of her husband, exorbitant expenses for the offices of the boss of the RBB, a real estate project whose costs are skidding.

The daily

Frankfurter Allgemeine

this morning speaks on the front page of a perfect scenario for a satirical series.

Except that there, it is indeed about reality.

Patricia Schlesinger initially resigned from her position as president of the ARD and shortly after from the leadership of the RBB in Berlin.

An investigation for suspicion of breach of trust and influence peddling has been opened.

Her husband, a former journalist, and the boss of the RBB board of directors are also concerned.

Lack of financial control

Beyond the person of Patricia Schlesinger, it is the reputation of German public broadcasting that is in question.

The lack of financial controls within public broadcasting is criticized as well as the lack of skills of the management boards.

Questions of ethics and transparency must be reviewed.

The salaries of leaders - 300,000 euros for Patricia Schlesinger, much more than the Chancellor - are criticized while freelance journalists are poorly paid.

Beyond that, some wonder about the merger of certain regional branches, a permanent sea serpent.

Apart from the extreme right, no one is asking for the abolition of public broadcasting, but they are criticizing a system that is too bureaucratic, too expensive, which would be too left for the right and more watched by young people.

A public audiovisual whose amount of the royalty, proposed by a commission, is always ratified by the 16 regions.

The chairman of the Christian Democratic Party Friedrich Merz wondered this weekend whether two public TV channels ARD and ZDF were needed.

Others question whether very expensive spending on stars or overpriced sports rights are still justified even if the finances still follow.

The powerful Springer newspaper group has launched a campaign against the public sector and royalty.

Finally, it should be remembered that German public broadcasting is a giant on the international scene.

The fee in Germany is the highest in Europe with 220 €uros per year.

The public sector benefits from 8.4 billion euros in revenue compared to less than four billion in France or for the British BBC.

The German public audiovisual sector is made up of 21 general, thematic or regional television channels and 73 radio stations, not to mention the presence on the internet.  

►Also listen: The power of the German media

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