FDP demands fundamental reform of public service broadcasting

The FDP parliamentary group has called for a significant streamlining of public service broadcasting with the aim of reducing the fee. In a position paper available to the Evangelical Press Service (epd), the parliamentary group criticizes, among other things, the draft of the 3rd media change state treaty, which is "well intentioned, but not well thought out" and is not a real reform of the public service mandate. First, the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported on the paper.

Thomas Hacker, media policy spokesman for the parliamentary group, told the newspaper that the latest scandals in the family of public broadcasters have fueled the discussion about its legitimacy. In this there should be no taboos or sacred cows. According to the document, the FDP is committed to the value of public broadcasting, but stands for "a media system in which moderation and balance are observed".

The position paper culminates in a catalog of a total of eleven demands for a “modern, efficient and transparent public service broadcaster”, some of which coincide with those of other critics of the public service system. Among other things, the parliamentary group calls for the dismantling of double and multiple structures, for example through a uniform media library, a cap on top salaries, a strengthening of the supervisory bodies by independent third parties, a complete waiver of advertising and sponsorship and more transparency for the commercial subsidiaries of the broadcasters.

In addition, the online order must be limited, not only when purchasing productions for the media library, but also when offerings are similar to the press. The FDP is also calling on the states to overcome their "state selfishness" and to give up unanimity in favor of a majority principle for faster reforms.

A month ago, WDR director Tom Buhrow called for a fundamental reform of public broadcasting in a speech to the Übersee-Club in Hamburg. He spoke out in favor of a round table to draw up a "new social contract". The WDR director emphasized that he was not speaking in his current position as ARD chairman, but as a private person.