Reform of public broadcasting must not weaken it: no savings along quota lines, etc.

dossier

“Now the cultural channel 3sat may be discontinued. The broadcast content should be transferred “partially or completely” to the Arte program – according to the draft that is being submitted to the committees for approval. And the question arises: Why do public broadcasters always think of culture when it comes to saving money? It may not be due to the savings potential that can be achieved. Half a dozen well-researched cultural programs could be financed for the fees that are spent on television for the football experts who cover the broadcast time during half-time of international matches. (…) And cultural reporting – especially alongside serious political magazine journalism – would offer something else for the public service system: legitimacy. (…) As purely entertainment-oriented ratings machines, the public broadcasters have no right to do so anyway…”Comment by Dirk Knipphals from October 4th, 2024 in the taz online (“3sat is threatened with the end: How far from culture should it be?”) – see more about the Reform State Treaty and several petitions against it:

• Program reform in the DLF: Freelance employees must not be left behind and are defending themselves with an open letter
  • ver.di criticizes Deutschlandfunk program reform: Freelance employees must not be left behind!
    “The United Services Union (ver.di) criticizes the treatment of freelance programmers in the course of the program reform in Deutschlandfunk, which will fundamentally change the broadcasting schedule of the nationwide radio channel from December 2026. An open letter to those responsible for the station, available to ver.di and signed by more than 550 Deutschlandfunk employees, calls for clarification as to how the independents can continue to work for Deutschlandfunk to the same extent as before. So far, there are no discernible employment prospects; instead, many freelancers are receiving so-called restriction notices, which are apparently intended to pave the way for a significant reduction in the scope of employment…”Press release from October 20, 2026 
  • Program reform in the DLF: Free people fight back
    “(…) Skepticism is expressed from the circle of the free and festivals as to whether the new program scheme is at all suitable for meeting the expectations of radio users for a Deutschlandfunk, which stands out in the German radio market with its breadth of journalistic topics and depth of research.
    “The employees of Deutschlandfunk courageously show their sense of responsibility for an excellent public broadcasting program,” said ver.di federal board member Schmitz-Dethlefsen. "They are demanding that those responsible for the station finally make plans with them for the program that will start in a month and a half. Journalism without security loses freedom and independence - which no one in Deutschlandradio should have in mind," warned the trade unionist.”Article by PM from October 20, 2026 in mmm 
• Over for Cosmo Radio: ARD is already shaping the AfD's media policy 
  “The abolition of the multilingual Cosmo Radio is a democratic declaration of bankruptcy. What we are experiencing here is a public media policy that is already cowering in front of the right-wing radicals and implementing the brown political agenda with anticipatory obedience.
  Cosmo Radio is a unique intercultural public radio station with multilingual content. It's refreshingly different from the interchangeable soundscapes we usually hear. Cosmo brings global sounds and unknown artists. There are DJ sets with reggaeton and queer podcasts. Cosmo sounds different. And most importantly: Cosmo gives more space to a migrant perspective than any other channel in this country.
  This radio program is an expression of a democratic society that says openly and confidently: Kurdish, Turkish, Russian, Italian, Polish and Arabic are part of us - just like the German language. Cosmo shows what our society is like and not what the racial egalitarians and fear mongers want it to be.
  WDR has now abolished this channel, which is broadcast linearly in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Berlin, with a narrow majority as part of the ARD austerity spree. Now of all times, when the AfD is the strongest party in surveys. Now of all times, when the federal government is already pursuing AfD policy. Now of all times, when democracy and a plural society are under pressure like never before in the history of the Federal Republic.
  We are currently at a point where we need to set an example for an open, diverse society…”Comment by Markus Reuter from June 4, 2026 in network politics , see also:
  • What remains after Radio Cosmo ends? The WDR speaks of a contemporary adaptation. Critics fear the loss of a specifically (post-)migrant offer
    “…For many listeners and employees, this is more than just an ordinary program reform. They see this as the continuation of a development that began long before the end of radio multiculturalism. The debate is far from just about one radio station. It touches on the question of what place the (post-)migrant society should have in public broadcasting in the future.
    Reach and young target groups
    WDR rejects the accusation of reducing diversity. Rather, it is about anchoring them more broadly in the future. “Our goal is to create more diversity and reach more people,” explains WDR spokeswoman Kristina Bausch when asked by nd. The migrant target group is much more heterogeneous today than at the time of Funkhaus Europa. In the future, diversity should no longer take place primarily in a single program, but should instead be visible in all offerings.From now on, the multilingual content will be concentrated on Arabic, Farsi and Turkish and the offerings will be bundled together with WDRforyou in a new specialist editorial team, says Kristina Bausch from WDR. WDR also cites reach as an argument. According to the last media analysis in March 2026, Cosmo achieved a daily reach of 1.3 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to people from Cologne, that is not enough to meet their own requirements.
    Why the criticism is so great
    For long-time Cosmo presenter and former Radio Multikulti employee Evren Zahirovic, this argument falls short. Reaching more people is desirable, no question about it - but Cosmo is currently reaching "more people than ever before," says Zahirovic to "nd". At the same time, she points out the low level of awareness of the station. (…) The new name 1Live Street remains particularly controversial, as critics argue that it reduces the diversity of migrant living environments to a cliché of youth and street culture…”Article by Paul Taylan from June 16, 2026 in ND online 
• Broadcasting reform: loss of quality and space. The new Medienstraats contracts consolidate the dismantling of a common good
  "The common good of public broadcasting (ÖRR) is coming under increasing fundamental attack. The new state treaties on broadcasting reform, which the last state parliament recently approved with the Brandenburg state parliament, and the lack of a new state financing treaty make it clear that the state governments want to reduce quality. The broadcasters are still going along with it. In addition to the refusal of additional income, there are two aspects in particular that are severely damaging the ÖRR. One is the pressure to have less diversity through joint productions. »The The associated dismantling of multiple structures makes it possible to limit the burden on contributors in the future," can be read in the official explanations of the contracts (...)
  Multiple structures have been dismantled for a long time. (…) The second way to damage the foundations of the ÖRR is comprehensive “onlineization”. RBB and Deutschlandradio need to publish more on the Internet and save on staff. This money shift has also been going on for years. Deutschlandradio keeps launching new podcasts instead of always sticking to its own collective agreement fee specifications in its basic business. It is not uncommon for radio contributions to be placed in fee categories that correspond to a lower amount of work than is actually done. It’s not just freelance authors who report this. Editorial members have also admitted in writing that they have fee specifications for their programs that deviate from the collective agreement. Now the broadcaster is increasingly fighting for attention online and is making itself dependent on the discourses and mechanisms there. (…)
  At the congress of the free and staff councils of ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio and Deutsche Welle in Frankfurt am Main in April, there was talk of the "Big Tech trap", the ÖRR's increasing dependence on online companies. According to a self-report on www.ard-frei.de, drastic words were also used about the new state treaties. Accordingly, Stefan Tiyavorabun, SWR journalist and board member of the cross-channel Free Council, said: "For the first time in history, we are experiencing that the right to exist of public broadcasting is being questioned."..." Article by Ralf Hutter from December 15, 2025 in New Germany online , see also:
  • “The broadcasting reforms are damaging public broadcasters”
    RBB staff councilor Christoph Reinhardt inInterview by Ralf Hutter in Neues Deutschland online on December 15, 2025 "about cuts, content restrictions and problems for freelance journalists at the ARD channels: (…) The reform state treaty is intended to be the answer to the discussion about the ÖRR, which has become increasingly heated in recent years. (…) The criticism from us staff councilors a year ago was that some of the reforms fell short and others could damage the ÖRR. The discussion has become even sharper since then and the financing problems have become even greater. The individual state treaty on financing is not came about, the broadcasting fee has not been increased this year, which is particularly bad for the broadcasters' freelance employees, because they live on fees, and since the last fee increase, inflation has been ten to 15 percent are not regulated at all. The requirements regarding so-called press similarity have been tightened - we now have to be even more cautious with online texts.
• State parliaments decide on broadcasting reform - ver.di criticizes unity on the wrong issue
  “Among other things, decisions were made to make massive cuts in the variety of programs or bans on online texts, which make it more difficult for public broadcasters to fulfill their online mandate.
  This Wednesday evening (October 29, 2025), the Saxon state parliament voted on the reform of public broadcasting. (…) Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen, member of the ver.di federal board responsible for media, comments on the vote: "The media policy of the states is based on the collective unanimity principle. Today, the states have proven that they can certainly muster the necessary discipline for media policy projects. With regard to the financing of the public media, the state governments are, as is well known, not fulfilling this political task despite a clear request from the Federal Constitutional Court." Schmitz-Dethlefsen gives a cautious assessment of the state treaty, which can now come into force in all states with the decision in Saxony: "Apart from the formalities, the decision is not very good news. Among other things, massive cuts in the variety of programs or bans on online texts were decided, which makes it more difficult for public broadcasters to fulfill their online mandate. ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio will be able to offer people less regional and current news in the future. The reform will be many Employees, some of whom have worked for a broadcaster for decades, are costing their jobs. Media policy has not been able to explain how all this is supposed to improve the public media and increase its acceptance. A glimmer of hope is the announcement by the Saxon state government in the state parliament debate that it will promptly readjust the "press similarity" regulation. Until then, it is up to the broadcaster's strategists to prevent a general loss of relevance without increasing the burden on employees.In view of the increasing pressure on democracy and its institutions and the influence on the digital public, courageous action would be necessary for a strong, diverse, independent broadcaster that reliably offers trustworthy content on all relevant distribution channels. The Reform State Treaty doesn’t help.” ver.di press release from October 29, 2025 
• Broadcasting reform: ver.di calls for a return to orderly procedures
  “According to the Saxon state government, the signing of the broadcasting reform planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, by the state prime ministers is in jeopardy. The United Services Union (ver.di) criticizes the unreliability of those responsible for media policy and calls on the Broadcasting Commission to use the postponement to improve the contract and structural reform in the interests of users and employees.
  At their conference on Wednesday, the Prime Ministers announced the signing of the contract and structural reform for public broadcasting. However, they had given until December 2025 to sign the state financing agreement. Now the broadcasting reform has been taken off the agenda - apparently out of anger over the lawsuit filed by ARD and ZDF to implement the fee increase recommended by the responsible KEF and rejected by the state leaders. (…)
  Both the broadcasters and the employees in public broadcasting need a minimum of planning ability. The deadline for a decision on the lawsuit in Karlsruhe is already near the end of the year, significantly longer than expected.” Schmitz-Dethlefsen advises using the upcoming delay productively to iron out the biggest mistakes in the draft contract. “The Broadcasting Commission can now make it possible for public service online offerings to be available in keeping with the times and in accordance with usage habits by removing the press similarity clauses, for no bureaucratic machine to be set up through cooperation requirements between all broadcasters and levels, and for an attractive full public service program to be created under good, reliable working conditions.”“ver.di press release from March 11, 2025 
• "The money should be invested in the program": Verdi and DGB criticize cuts through broadcasting reform
  The media policy officer for the United Services Union, Bettina Hesse, spoke about this in theInterview by Gitta Düperthal in the young world from November 7, 2024 :"The AfD wants to restrict public broadcasting. But the CDU/CSU and SPD also sometimes have problems with their role as guarantors of independent public broadcasting. This institution, which is dedicated to the values of pluralistic democracy, should be strengthened in order to have an impact on society. Because many half-truths and untruths from dubious providers are available via digital channels. Our constitution enshrines the freedom of broadcasting. The consequences of weakening reputable providers, especially now, are up to the decision-makers Apparently there are no conscious savings to be made on information and educational programs, documentaries and offers for younger people. ARD's regional radio programs are to be reduced by a third. Only two channels from the current offering from Phoenix, Tagesschau 24, ARD alpha and ZDF Info, are to be retained. 3sat content could be included there. In the case of breaking news, such as flood disasters like the one in Spain, there should initially only be headlines on the internet; this has been changed: text can be added later, but this is a severe restriction compared to the status quo is counterproductive. The money should be invested in the program.(…) Broadcast slots for culture and politics are already being cut, which means fewer jobs and orders. Fewer people have to do more and more in less time. Neither the commission nor the prime ministers have listened to employees who have been involved in designing the programs for decades in order to implement them in an appealing way. If they had been asked, they could have contributed a lot to the debate.”
• “This is more reminiscent of the business concepts of corporations” – must and can the Federal Constitutional Court save the ÖRR from right-wing populism?
  • MPK: ver.di criticizes broadcasting reform without increasing funding
    "…"Contrary to the advice of the KEF expert commission, which was unable to identify any short- and medium-term cost reductions from the reforms to the program and organizational structure formulated by the Prime Minister, the federal states are refusing to grant ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio the necessary increase in broadcasting fees from the turn of the year. This means that public broadcasting is coming under politically motivated pressure. By increasing costs, the federal states are provoking a restriction in the variety of programs and future opportunities. The broadcasters now have to defend themselves against this with their constitutional rights, which means that they will go to the Federal Constitutional Court.”
     “Good broadcasting, with full offerings in TV, radio and digital offerings and their further development for all citizens needs appropriate financing that increases in line with cost developments, all experts agree on this,” Schmitz-Dethlefsen continued. "The Prime Ministers consciously decided against it and thereby violated broadcasting constitutional law. This is bad for media users, for the dual media system, for employees and, above all, for freelance workers in broadcasting.”…”ver.di press release from October 25, 2024 
  • [djv] Broadcasting: Country leaders are causing land damage
    “The German Association of Journalists criticizes the decisions of the Prime Minister's Conference on public broadcasting in clear terms: "The state leaders are causing enormous damage to land," says DJV federal chairman Mika Beuster.
    According to media reports, the Prime Ministers had previously decided not to increase the broadcasting fee at the end of the year and thus ignored the KEF's recommendation. They also passed the reform state treaty, which, among other things, provides for the merger of 3sat and ARTE, the deletion of half of the special interest programs and the elimination of numerous radio stations. In doing so, the country leaders have ignored the statements of experts, including the DJV, as well as the petition to preserve 3sat, in which around 160,000 people took part. “Here the ax is being laid at the roots of high-quality broadcast journalism in Germany,” criticizes the DJV chairman. In terms of media policy, it is short-sighted to “evaporate the public broadcasters in times of disinformation and propaganda”. The DJV chairman advises those responsible for the station to have the constitutionality of the decisions made checked: “The directors owe this to the employees as well as to the credibility and reputation of the stations.” The Federal Constitutional Court may have to determine once again that the continued existence of public broadcasting must be preserved.”djv announcement from October 25, 2024 
  • Dispute over ARD, ZDF and Co.: We have to talk about journalism for everyone
    “Public broadcasting should be allowed to produce less text content. At least that is what the draft for a reform state treaty envisages. It would be high time to banish the anachronistic concept of press similarity and think about completely different questions. (…) Instead of strengthening the concept, it would be time to bury the program reference deep in the mothballs. The discussion around this distracts attention from two much bigger problems: the crisis of journalism funding and the crisis of democracy, which finds fertile ground due to a lack of reliable information offerings. The current debate is therefore misguided and leads away from two relevant questions: How can we finance diverse journalism outside of advertising data sales and paywalls? And how do we create the opportunity for everyone to obtain comprehensive and reliable information?
    Anachronistic separation of text, image and sound
    Especially when it comes to online offerings, the distinction between text, video and audio is anachronistic. And while elsewhere, FragDenStaat, for example, has to print the Internet on dead trees in order to pass as press, ARD, ZDF and Co. should withhold their digital text offerings until a suitable article is broadcast. Or they have to get “creative” and produce clips that are actually superfluous for all sorts of things – because the newspaper publishers see their profits floating away. (…)
    The public broadcasters are not the problem
    But the cause of journalism's financial crisis is not that public broadcasters are writing texts on the Internet. And the solution is certainly not to ban them. Instead of fighting the wrong opponent, we should think about how we can ensure diverse journalism when the market can no longer do so. That is also the task of politics. But neither the publishing lobby nor the responsible politicians are clearly thinking about what it should actually be about: the opportunity for everyone to obtain comprehensive and reliable information. No matter whether in words, images or sound. Because in addition to journalism, something else is also in crisis: democracy. (…)
    We need more media content, not less
    We must ensure that there are more independent media offerings that work according to journalistic standards. If the public service offerings disappear, the publishing princes are unlikely to tear down their paywalls. Or abandon their course of further centralization. And so there will then be even fewer offers that can counteract the booming noise of interest-based information tidbits. Because publishers are primarily concerned with one thing: profit. (…)We need concepts for solid support for private media companies and organizations that still maintain the press’s independence from the state…”Comment by Anna Biselli from October 25, 2024 in network politics 
  • Broadcasting reform: class instead of quantity?  Public broadcasting is being curtailed and further digitized with an innovation in the State Media Treaty
    “…Massive savings are to be made, especially in the area of ​​key offerings. A total of 17 radio channels and three or four television stations are to be eliminated. There had already been protests on Wednesday against the closure of the cultural channel 3sat, which is to be partially or completely transferred to Arte's program. A petition entitled »Save 3Sat! Save our culture!« with prominent signatories such as the directors Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff as well as the writers Elke Heidenreich and Sybille Berg was handed over to the Prime Minister's Conference in front of the conference building. Almost 150,000 signatures were collected. Apparently they didn't help. In the future, according to Schweitzer, a “European cultural platform” should be created that consists of the “already well-known offerings from Arte and possibly 3Sat.” In other words: two channels are made into one. In addition, the four linear special interest channels in the area of ​​“education, information and documentation” – tagesschau24, Phoenix, ARD-alpha and ZDFinfo – are to be reduced to one or two offers; the currently four offers from the “children, young people and younger adults” area – KiKa, funk, ZDFneo and ARDone – to three. According to the contract, younger adults should find themselves in the main program rather than in formats developed specifically for them.
    There had also been major protests against these cuts. The campaign organization Campact had started a signature campaign; By the time of going to press, a good half a million signatures had been collected. According to the initiators on their website, independent reporting is more important than ever in times of rising right-wing populism. This is at risk with the planned resolutions. The prime ministers apparently see it differently. (…)
    A planned amendment that was sharply criticized by representatives of the ÖRR was that of press releases on the public broadcaster portals. According to the State Media Treaty, so-called “press similarity” is prohibited for the ÖRR media because this would put them in unfair competition with the free press. The Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) has been criticizing the fact that this is happening anyway for years. According to the planned innovation, there will now be stricter and binding regulations. According to the contract, texts on sites such as tagesschau.de and sportschau.de may only be published “accompanying the broadcast”. This means: Only when a topic has been reported on television or radio should texts about it appear on the ÖRR portals. Representatives of the ÖRR had taken a position against this, arguing, among other things, that texts could ensure quicker information for users. Auditory and visual formats often have to be produced with more effort. If the ÖRR is not allowed to publish texts, it cannot adequately fulfill its mission of information and education. Schweitzer now said at the MPK that a “good compromise” had been found. There was talk of a “positive list” with the help of which “a lot is possible” without private media providers facing competition. He didn't explain what that meant specifically…”Article by Larissa Kunert from October 25, 2024 in ND online 
  • “This is more reminiscent of corporate business concepts.” Media scientist Mandy Tröger on the reform plans for public broadcasting
    “…A majority of the population wants the broadcasting fee to stop rising. Press publishers, in turn, want the broadcasters to be less active on the Internet and social media because they perceive them as competition. The measures in the Reform State Treaty are therefore clearly politically motivated: they are intended to circumvent the eternal discussions about the broadcasting fee. At the same time, we are trying to find answers to the digitalization of the media. (…) These cuts have a major impact on the diversity of content in journalism. Many cultural, service and information programs on the radio are already half-day programs, and there are only a few special interest channels and programs such as Cosmo or Die Maus. Cultural journalism, educational programs and foreign reporting also have a difficult time on television. The Reform State Treaty does not strengthen them all. There is even a discussion on ARD as to whether it is enough for there to be only one commentary on cultural events on the radio, i.e. premieres in the theater, opera and concerts, but also the independent scene as well as films and books. How should the formation of opinions be supported? Apart from the fact that due to the reduction in broadcasting space, many events are no longer reported on. The mergers described also represent a trend that has been around for a long time at the ÖRR - namely increasing institutional centralization. (…)
    One of the ÖRR's mandates is to quickly inform local people in all ways. Restricting text-based content would most likely result in the ÖRR no longer being able to fulfill this mandate. Furthermore, the ÖRR will not be able to compete with US digital companies such as Google or Meta. He is already barely able to attract users to his platforms. He also lacks the necessary data. He can hardly win this race to catch up - and especially not if he is allowed to publish less information and texts. (…) The ÖRR is the only actor in our media system that – at least theoretically – is not oriented towards market interests, but rather the interests of a democratic society. However, if you read the ÖRR's strategy concepts, this aspect is almost completely ignored. The language, arguments and perspectives are more reminiscent of the business concepts of large corporations than of a public institution. The draft of the Reform State Treaty is ultimately both a concession and the result of years of pressure, for example from politicians, to measure the ÖRR against market norms such as ratings and clicks and thereby legitimize it. At the same time, the draft contract is also an attempt to emancipate oneself from the supremacy of digital companies such as Google or Meta. The common platform of ARD and ZDF, for example, represents this attempt. I understand the intention, but I doubt that the suggested steps will actually achieve the desired effect. The ÖRR should focus on its public mission and its strengths: these are deep regionality, broad diversity and diverse content.As a society, we need safe institutional spaces and resources for good journalism. The ÖRR can offer these spaces - even if it is currently not doing so to the extent that it should. If the reform is passed, cultural, international and political reporting will lose even more quality. This project is not only profoundly changing the ÖRR, but also our entire media system. (…) A progressive reform idea could be to involve practitioners in the reform process and to place them increasingly in leadership positions. We have a historical model for this: 35 years ago there were media reforms in the GDR that were supported by the employees. For example, in the fall of 1989, employees elected their bosses up to the directors. Media in which a large part of the population had no trust managed to reform and gain social recognition in a short period of time. One could learn from that…”Interview by Sebastian Bähr from October 25th, 2024 in ND online 
  • A right-wing wet dream. Leo Fischer on the disappearance of the idea of ​​public broadcasting as a social achievement
    “…In reality, the much-maligned public broadcaster is still doing well in terms of public trust. But it is a thorn in the side of those who would like to hide the entire area of ​​public information behind paywalls or subject it to the whim of advertisers. There is no private news format in Germany, whether on television or elsewhere, that even comes close to the quality and standards of the “Tagesschau”. Instead, editorial offices are being cut down everywhere, dozens of regional newspapers are supplied by “central editorial offices,” where half of the articles come from the ticker and the other half are written by the AI. In Great Britain, in addition to the apparent dominance of the BBC, there has always been a strong private sector - although investments have also been made in it. Cutting down on public broadcasters means that what the private companies have screwed up will become the new standard; The garbage that Springer and “Nius” spread now receives an artificial subsidy.
    The public broadcaster was also often criticized from the left. It's true, you often don't notice that the program is more expensive than the BBC without even coming within the horizon of this quality. ARD's Saturday evening crime drama is mostly an aesthetic and intellectual declaration of bankruptcy. Institutions under public law should not even take part in the egg dance surrounding the fundamentally corrupt football associations and their licenses. Critical political formats such as “Monitor” are being thinned out, while AfD and Wagenknecht have permanent seats on the major talk shows. The directors' salaries as well as the structure of the broadcasting councils need a fundamental correction.
    DBut what is happening now is, as with the so-called migration debate, another wet dream of the right that is coming true. The public sector is being pulled out; its online offering in particular will only be based on its television program, which ultimately means the end of tagesschau.de, for example, as an independent news portal. This deprives large parts of the population of access to serious, almost free journalism. What has been completely lost is the idea that public broadcasting belongs to all of us, is a social achievement like a weekend or a pension - and that it should now be taken away from us in favor of private profit interests.”Comment by Leo Fischer from October 25, 2024 in ND online 
• Civil society alliance calls for more focus on the common good in the reform plans for the public broadcasters: strengthen ARD and ZDF instead of abolishing them
  • Civil society alliance calls for more focus on the common good in reform plans for public broadcasters
    "An alliance of environmental and welfare associations as well as trade unions has adopted a joint declaration on the reform of public broadcasting. In this, the organizations recognize the need for reforms in broadcasting in order to make public broadcasting future-proof and diverse. However, they are skeptical about the Prime Minister's plans. The draft state treaties contained threatening cuts, regressions and restrictions for public broadcasting - without setting a goal for better broadcasting "The Prime Ministers are planning massive program cuts without paying attention to the consequences. Journalistic diversity is being destroyed without knowing whether there will be any relevant cost savings. There is no sign of an intention to qualitatively strengthen the public broadcasters," states Frank Werneke, chairman of the United Services Union (ver.di) and co-signatory of the declaration. (…) However, the alliance sees the lack of a state treaty on broadcasting financing as the main problem. Werneke: "Public broadcasters have a right to adequate funding. If the prime ministers block the way for the contribution increase, it is a breach of the constitution. Democratic media politicians should strengthen broadcasting freedom instead of unduly interfering in its financing. The delaying tactics must finally come to an end!" ver.di press release from October 11, 2024 to
  • Declaration of Alliance “Profound broadcasting reform planned – common good in the foreground” from October 11th, 2024 and
  • tojoint statement from ver.di and DGB from October 11th, 2024 on the current broadcasting reform
  • now all in oneDossier at ver.di 
• Reform State Treaty
  “On September 26, 2024, the heads of government of the federal states released a draft state treaty on the reform of public broadcasting (ReformStV) for public hearing. The aim of the reform is to enable modern public broadcasting that reaches the entire society with its offerings. To this end, the mandate of public broadcasting should be qualitatively strengthened and quantitatively limited. The draft contains suggestions for digitizing the offerings, reducing the number of special interest and radio offerings and limiting the sports rights budget. In addition, cooperation between public broadcasters should be strengthened…”Information about the draft state treaty and onepresentation the essential content of the reform proposals
  • Suggestions and comments on the proposals can be submitted until October 11, 2024 - take advantage of thisContact form from the Broadcasting Commission of the States 
• [Appeal] Facts instead of fake news: protect ARD and ZDF!
  “3sat, ZDFneo and Tagesschau24 are threatened with extinction: the federal states want to delete five TV channels and 20 radio channels from public broadcasting without replacement. Independent reporting is more important than ever - because the propaganda from right-wing extremists is getting louder every day. We demand from the country leaders: Protect ARD and ZDF. Sign now for reliable media!
  Public broadcasting is crucial for shaping opinions – and our democracy. ARD, ZDF and Co. provide reliable information and balanced reporting. This means they reach millions of citizens across the country every day. This is especially essential in times of foreign-controlled propaganda and right-wing extremist conspiracy narratives.
  But the planned broadcasting reform threatens valuable educational formats. We appeal to you, the Prime Ministers: ensure that the wide range of information available on television and radio is maintained!“Appeal to Prime Ministers at campact.de 
• 3sat received – Petitions
  • The petition “Save 3sat – our cultural broadcaster must not disappear!”
    “3sat has stood for sophisticated journalism for 40 years. Art, culture and science have their home here. But now there is a risk of a quick end. With the announced reform of public broadcasting, it is planned to discontinue 3sat. The station is to be merged with Arte, which de facto means the end for 3sat. Let's not just accept this. We need 3sat as a platform for critical debates, as a stage for creative diversity and as a voice for European culture. I am not only a television journalist, a long-time freelancer for the 3sat cultural program KULTURZEIT, but also a regular viewer of the program and am firmly convinced that culture, art and also education must have a permanent place in the German media landscape, especially in these times. Our society needs art, theater, cinema, literature, music, dance, comedy and all the many creative people who enrich, irritate and make us think every day on 3sat. However, we don't have much time to save 3sat, because the formal public hearing on the draft law will end on October 11th, 2024, just a few days from now. Until then, every vote counts! Because not even two weeks later, at the next Prime Minister's Conference from October 23rd to 25th, 2024 in Leipzig, the station's closure could already be decided…”  Katja Riha’s petition can be found atinnn.it/3sat sign.
  • Receiving 3sat
    “…Reforming the programming landscape at the expense of culture is not possible, especially given the current political and social situation in Germany and Europe. Culture and cultural education need to be strengthened and need a larger rather than smaller platform in the public sector. Therefore, voices should be raised against the current reform plans…”Petition from Karin Aschenbach on openPetition 
  • Petition to save the German cultural and media landscape! 3sat has to stay!
    “The latest reform plans from the federal states provide for a significant streamlining of public broadcasting. In principle, I also welcome the austerity measure, especially since I view many things in today's program very critically. However, this reform provides for a number of things that I consider to be extremely problematic and in which I even see a threat to the educational mission of public broadcasting. First and foremost, the planned merger of 3sats with arte should be mentioned. I think this is an absolutely questionable step, as both channels are cross-national joint programs. (…) The cultural offerings should also not go unmentioned. It is an open secret that the public broadcasters, in a supposedly cultural nation like Germany, only seem to fulfill their cultural mandate in the main program extremely poorly. Instead, it is better to broadcast entertainment programs that are suitable for the masses every day, even though it is a privilege of public broadcasting not to have to keep an eye on the ratings alone and to be able to broadcast niche programs.  3sat currently offers the largest platform for cultural content on German television…”Petition from Ferdinand Wanke at change.org 
• 3sat received – Arguments and positions
  
  • 3sat coordinator Müller-Elmau: Merge 3sat and Arte? “I lack imagination”
    "...One of the biggest surprises in the draft of the state treaty on a reform of public broadcasting, which the states have hastily drafted in the last few months, is that the ideal would be to merge the two cultural broadcasters 3sat and Arte - one operated together with partners in Austria and Switzerland, the other with France. In concrete terms, according to these ideas, this would probably mean the end for 3sat and the transfer of 3sat content to Arte. That would be the case Natalie Müller-Elmau, who is in charge of 3sat as the ZDF coordinator in this country, was surprised in an interview with “@mediasres” on Deutschlandfunk. "I still have a bit of a lack of imagination as to how this is all going to work. There are only 24 hours in a day and both Arte and we have enough programming for 24 hours. What will then be eliminated and how it will be integrated is not clear to us at the moment." If one of the two channels were to be canceled, that would of course mean that content would be eliminated. “It will be possible to spend significantly less broadcasting time and broadcasting budgets on the core genres that are at the core of the public service mission, i.e. culture, science, and ultimately also democracy, which we support with all the things we do,” said Müller-Elmau.In addition, a merger with Arte, which is operated jointly with France and is more European in scope, would mean that half would mean that “the German-speaking voices in science and art would have significantly less to say.”…” Contribution by Uwe Mantel from October 2, 2024 at DWDL.de 
  • 3sat received
    “The German Association of Journalists is calling on the Broadcasting Commission to cancel the merger of the broadcasters 3sat and Arte contained in the draft reform state treaty without replacement.
    In this context, the DJV welcomes the petition for the preservation of 3sat started by a freelance journalist on the innn.it platform, which has already found more than 18,000 signatures. “A merger of two stations that do not fit together does not strengthen them, but paves the way to media insignificance,” criticizes DJV federal chairman Mika Beuster. In addition, the destruction of high-quality journalistic jobs is to be expected. “We cannot accept that – nor the planned double-digit evaporation of radio waves.” The threatened job cuts would be a devastating signal to journalists in public broadcasting. In this context, the DJV chairman announced that the DJV would comment on the draft of the reform state treaty within the hearing period: “The reform must not permanently weaken public broadcasting.” Anyone who wants to further develop broadcasting should not practice premature obedience to notorious media critics.”Press release from October 4th, 2024 from the DJV 
  • Save 3sat! In the plans for a reform of public broadcasting, the television station 3sat is among those on the strike list
    "As is well known, the media has not only been in crisis since yesterday, be it for financial reasons or because of constant right-wing populist bombardment. This applies in particular to cultural journalism, which by definition serves more of one sector. (...) The cultural broadcaster [3sat] has so far been operated jointly by the German public broadcaster, the Austrian ORF and the SRG. The list in question was presented by a commission commissioned with the reform a few days ago. As is so often the case, it is primary The aim is to save money in order to keep any increase in fees as low as possible. The paper shows that a total of twenty radio stations and four to five special interest channels are to be canceled or merged. For public cultural reporting on television, this would mean that either Arte or 3sat would disappear on the basis of the German-French state treaty in the near future: The reform state treaty is to be decided by the prime ministers of the individual federal states this October; it would then come into force next summer. The end for 3sat is not yet final - at least the response that the announcement of the reform plans provoked is encouraging “Dream ship” for democracy?” (…) A public hearing on the reform plans will run until October 11th.By then, journalist Katja Riha wants to have collected as many signatures as possible: Riha has started an online petition to preserve 3sat, which has already been signed by several thousand. “We need 3sat as a platform for critical debates, as a stage for creative diversity and as a voice for European culture,” says the call...” Article by Daniel Hackbarth from October 3, 2024 in the WOZ online 
• ARD, ZDF and DLR in transition: reform ideas and future perspectives
  Study by Jan Christopher Kalbhenn from August 12, 2024 at the Otto Brenner Foundation

See also our dossier on the subject:[RBB and now NDR…] The fatal adaptation of public broadcasting to private broadcasting now has a symbolic name: Schlesinger

The postReform of public broadcasting must not weaken it: no savings along quota lines, etc.appeared firstLabourNet Germany.