Radio programs, sports rights and 3sat under scrutiny: the public broadcasters are facing major reform. What does that mean for the program?
From radio programs to broadcasting fees: ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio should become more efficient and save costs in the next few years. This is what the federal states, which are responsible for media policy and determine the framework conditions for public broadcasting, want. They have developed a reform.
But the countries are still primarily arguing about money – specifically: the broadcasting fee that people in Germany pay. The project is on shaky ground. The current Prime Minister’s Conference should bring clarity by Friday at the latest. Exit open.
In state treaties, the federal states have been specifying the mission and structure of public broadcasting for decades. It’s about how many broadcasters there are and what programs are offered. The states are currently revising these international treaties. Above all, there is the demand that ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio operate more efficiently. Instead of duplicating work, there should be more cooperation. According to previous country plans, the reform could come into force in the summer of 2025.
A number of ARD radio programs are to be eliminated. Which ones are not included in the state reform draft. That is then in the hands of the houses. At the much smaller Deutschlandradio, however, there are no plans to delete any radio programs.
The red pencil is also being applied to television channels: there should be fewer TV programs. It’s about smaller channels, which include, for example, Tagesschau24, Phoenix, One, Alpha, ZDFinfo, ZDFneo and Kika. Here too, it is unclear which one it could affect. The draft was criticized from many sides: There was major protest with petitions, letters and appeals, especially against the plans that the cultural broadcaster 3sat could be merged into Arte.
The new contribution period begins on January 1, 2025. Then, according to an expert recommendation, the broadcasting fee that households and companies pay – excluding exemptions – would have to increase by 58 cents from 18.36 euros per month to 18.94 euros. There is a constitutionally guaranteed procedure behind this. But an agreement between the countries on an increase specifically at the turn of the year is considered almost impossible.
The states determine the mandate of public broadcasting in state treaties. The broadcasters then submit corresponding cost plans to an independent financial commission – KEF. The commission usually checks and eliminates a lot. She then recommends to the states how high the broadcasting fee should be. The countries must closely follow this.
And: All prime ministers and all state parliaments must agree to the amount. If even one country says no, it won’t work. Last time the case ended up before the Federal Constitutional Court. Saxony-Anhalt opposed an increase and ultimately suffered defeat.
Opponents of an increase say: The houses have not done enough to reform themselves, so the states have to do it now. The current annual amount of nine billion euros for broadcasting must be enough – no increase. They first want to see how the reforms work, then we can talk again.
Those in favor of an increase emphasize that they want the reforms, but also recognize the efforts of the houses. The reforms will only deliver savings over time. That’s why you have to give the houses the increase in contributions – also with a view to inflation.