ORF boss warns of major incisions: 220 million euros in a savings requirement by 2031!

ORF boss warns of major incisions: 220 million euros in a savings requirement by 2031!

The Austrian radio (ORF) faces a financial upheaval: General Director Roland Weißmann complains of massive savings because of the government's decision not to increase the budget tax by 2029. This means that the ORF has to save a total of 220 million euros by 2031, with 80 million euros and 104 million euros will be saved this year. The continuing savings are called the largest savings package in the history of the station. "We will have to turn every stone individually," said Weißmann in a meeting of the ORF Voice Council and described the upcoming path as "stony". This situation leads to worries among the ORF employees and also has an impact on the public interactions, which, according to recent surveys, can be represented as positive. According to the 2024 public council study, 75 percent of those surveyed certify that the ORF is respectful with guests and 67 percent see a comprehensive and reliable reporting on the current events in Austria, as well as orf.at reports.

difficult times for the ORF

The government's clear attitude not to increase the ORF budget tax is perceived as a "big challenge". At the same time, Weißmann expresses that he sees a "clear commitment" to ORF in the government program of ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos: "The ORF is still secured," he says optimistically. However, this happens against the background of a falling budget and the urge to achieve savings. In the past few months, ORF has reached millions of viewers every day via different channels; On March 4, 1.4 million people alone switched to special reporting on the new government. Although the reviews of reporting partly exist, the study shows that the majority of the population is satisfied with the work of ORF, which forms the basis for its future planning under difficult financial conditions, as Exxpress.at analyzed. It remains to be seen how the ORF will deal with this challenge, while consuming streaming offers and online content grows steadily, which could offer the broadcaster new opportunities.