Most daily newspapers in Austria appeared on Wednesday with an empty front page. They were protesting against planned changes in the law that are intended to reorganize the financing of the public broadcasting chain ORF.
In a joint letter, the newspaper publishers warned that media diversity was “existentially threatened” by the legislative reform presented by the Austrian federal government. They called for the law to be revised. Due to the planned household levy based on the German model, which is intended to guarantee the broadcaster income of at least around 710 million euros from 2024, ORF can expand its activities in the digital space. This means that the private journalistic media will be “cut off from any future development opportunities,” it said on International Press Freedom Day.
According to ORF director Roland Weißmann, the 710 million correspond to the net costs of the public service mandate. If the broadcaster earns more from the contributions, this amount goes into a blocked account. In return, around 325 million euros would be saved in personnel and material costs from 2023 to 2026. “These are hard times for everyone. We will be able to do good programs in the coming years and at the same time have to look closely at the money,” Weißmann recently told the APA news agency.
The ORF contribution will be EUR 15.30. Currently, 22.45 euros per household and month are still due, with state and federal taxes also being added, which will no longer apply in the future. To date, the ORF has had income from broadcasting fees of around 670 million euros. The station employs around 3,000 people.