Klaus Webhofer: ORF summer talks as a new political corrective?

Klaus Webhofer: ORF summer talks as a new political corrective?

Wien, Österreich - In the coming year, Klaus Webhofer will moderate the ORF “summer talks” for the first time, which will take place in the ORF center from August 11 to September 8, 2025. Webhofer, who is known as the ORF interior policy chief and has led numerous radio politics interviews, gives the moderation of the "summer talks" to come to himself without having been actively working on it. These interviews are designed to illuminate current topics and give the viewers deeper insights into the positions of the high -ranking politicians.

A total of five prominent guests are invited: Beate Meinl-Reisinger (Neos), Andreas Babler (SPÖ), Christian Stocker (ÖVP), Leonore Gewessler (Greens) and Herbert Kickl (FPÖ). While webhofer does not expect any special confrontations because he has already conducted interviews with all guests, he rather focuses on understanding their positions. "The odds show that people consume media when something is going on," he notes, emphasizing the challenge of getting concise answers from politicians.

an important corrective

According to Webhofer, the media landscape in Austria plays a crucial role as a corrective, even if not all politicians recognize this equally. It is important to him that the conversations open up new perspectives for the audience and promote understanding for the guests. The return to the ORF media campus after two years is considered sensible, especially in a context in which the ORF has to save due to changes in the law, which affects everyday work.

Webhofer, who has been working on ORF since the early 1990s, has never switched to other media houses because he appreciates the development opportunities in ORF. This shows how strong his bond is to the company and how important it is to spectage the topics and journalistic work on site.

about the "summer talks"

The "summer talks" are an established platform within the Austrian media landscape, which aims to bring the voters closer to the views of the top political candidates. Alexander Sattmann, who has headed the editorial team for "current political discussions and magazines" since March 2025, was previously editor of the ORF polite magazine "Report" and also contributed to various discussion formats on ORF. Such formats are important to give the audience an insight into political discourses and to promote the exchange between politicians and citizens.

The media landscape in Austria is characterized by a mixture of public and private channels. The ORF, as the main actor, operates several channels and offers regional and national programs. The importance of these media is particularly reinforced by pressure and change in media use, which underlines the relevance of the "summer talks". The diversity in reporting and the possibility of political actors to represent their points of view are crucial for democratic will formation in Austria.