Ex-Minister and ORF presenter step back after just one week!

Ex-Minister and ORF presenter step back after just one week!

Österreich - The ORF audience council has already rethought after a week: two members, Beatrix Karl and Gertrude Aubauer, have declared their resignation. Beatrix Karl, the former Minister of Science and Justice, and Gertrude Aubauer, formerly ORF moderator and interim ÖVP MP, withdrew from the council due to the suspicion of incompatibility. According to the ORF law, political functions for members of the ORF council are not allowed. This is related to the legal requirements for ensuring independence and diversity on radio. OE24 reports .

The resignations of the two women are not the first challenges for the new ORF audience council. Even before the constituent session, two candidates had to be replaced because of their political past. This shows how strictly the regulations are in relation to membership in the ORF council. Petra Stolba, who is assigned the ÖVP, could enter the Board of Trustees instead of Aubauer, but it is open who takes over the vacant mandates in the public council, for whom the Federal Government must propose representatives in the areas of older people and science. Kurier reports .

politics and media

Gertrude Aubauer resigned from the public council because she is vice-motor from the ÖVP seniors, which also falls under the politician clause. Beatrix Karl gives up her place because she is the vice -chair of the Styrian Öaab. These resignations raise questions about the compatibility of the members, since the ORF law calls for the new members strict declarations of agreement. It remains unclear what consequences from the incompatibility will follow, since the law does not contain any regulations for this. According to Kurier , all upcoming members have to sign that the exclusion provisions of the THETALLY ORF law.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will take place next Tuesday. At this meeting, in which 34 instead of 35 members are participated, topics such as the ORF contribution daughter OBS and cooperation at the media location should be discussed. In -industry topics are also legally relevant, especially if you look at the challenges of the current media landscape.

challenges of the ORF law

Another aspect of the current situation is the legal basis of the ORF law. In its considerations, the Constitutional Court (VfGH) has declared some provisions unconstitutional because they violate independence and pluralistic composition. These legal changes will be overridden on March 31, 2025, which forces the Federal Government to re -regulate. VfGH informs about it on his website. The members of the foundation and public council are quorate, even if not all positions are filled as long as the functional period of the organs has not yet started.

The development of the ORF bodies and the challenges through resignations and legal adjustments will continue to influence the media landscape. The next meeting will be of great interest, since it could possibly change the course of the ORF and its influence on Austrian media policy.