2023-08-16 19:03:27
Media Multiplied costs
Court of Auditors criticizes WDR million-euro construction project
Status: 12:21 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
View of the WDR archive house and the film house (archive image)
Source: picture alliance/dpa/Horst Galuschka
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The costs for the renovation of the WDR film house in Cologne have increased over the years from 130 million to 240 million euros. In a preliminary report, auditors criticize the plans of the public broadcaster.
Auditors have criticized the approach of West German Broadcasting (WDR) in a million-dollar conversion project. The background to the audit is an increase in the costs of the ongoing renovation of the WDR film house in Cologne city center from the originally registered 130 million to 240 million euros. The public broadcaster defended its plans.
At the request of the dpa news agency, the state audit office of North Rhine-Westphalia announced on Wednesday that the WDR had not carried out an adequate economic analysis prior to the decision to renovate. First reported the “Cologne City Gazette‘ about the preliminary test result.
The auditors also said: “Before the start of the project, the board of directors did not have a rough budget for the overall construction project. The board of directors as the supervisory body should not have approved the project on this basis.” In particular, there was a lack of an appropriate consideration of variants for the location question.”
The WDR, as the largest ARD broadcaster, announced that the renovation of the WDR film house was the most economical solution. In “essential points” one comes to “different assessments” than the examiners.
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Audits by audit offices is one of several instruments to monitor the profitability and finances of public broadcasters. The result is a preliminary version. The WDR can issue a statement that will be incorporated. The final report goes to the state parliament and state government, among others. Like all public broadcasting, WDR is financed from broadcasting fees paid by households and companies. In 2022, WDR received a total of 1.25 billion euros, as can be seen from the annual report of the contribution service.
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WDR attributed the increased costs for the conversion project primarily to price increases. “What no builder in Germany could foresee and influence was the immense price increases in the construction industry.” Since 2017 there has been a price increase of 44 percent.
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In addition, the framework conditions have changed. Before the start of construction, the broadcaster decided that a central newsroom should be set up in the building. In addition, a multifunctional room for committee meetings of the enlarged Broadcasting Council and WDR events was mentioned.
According to earlier WDR information, the total budget originally registered with the independent finance commission KEF, which keeps an eye on the finances of broadcasting, was 130 million, later around 160 million euros – until the budget was expanded to 240.1 million euros.
Regarding the current status of the conversion, the WDR said: “The project should be completed as planned in the coming year. The shell work is finished.” At the same time, work on the interior fittings and the technical equipment has begun, and the facade is currently being completed on the outside. The reason for the renovation of the film house was a fire protection report in 2012. On this basis, the city of Cologne only allowed the 40-year-old building to be operated until 2020.
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