exclusive
The controversial Austrian internet channel “AUF1” is not allowed to broadcast via satellite. According to the media regulator, the cooperation with the Stuttgart company “schwarz rot gold tv” violates the State Media Treaty
“It is a murder plot against the German people,” claims AfD politician Björn Höcke in an interview with the Austrian internet channel “AUF1”. This refers to the federal government’s migration and family policy. The station advertises the conversation as a “big ‘AUF1’ interview”. There are no critical questions.
The AfD parliamentary group leader spread his positions in the Thuringian state parliament for around an hour – without them being questioned. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, described Höcke as a right-wing extremist, but that doesn’t seem to bother his counterpart: The key words for the supposed “big interview” are provided by the Germany correspondent of “AUF1”, who for years had previously been responsible for what was also considered right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution weekly magazine “Compact” worked.
Target group: From lateral thinkers to Reich citizens
“AUF1” broadcasts contributions like the Höcke speech across Europe via satellite. In Astra’s program offering, the channel is not called “AUF1” but “SRGT”. On its website, “AUF1” explains that it has “bought broadcasting time (…) from ‘SRGT'” and sees itself on the winning side with this coup: “Satellite television is the most popular TV reception method in Germany with a share of almost 50 percent.” Stefan Magnet, founder of “AUF1”, is said to have been active in right-wing extremist networks there for a long time, according to the Austrian media and the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW). At the start of broadcasting on Astra, Magnet announced that this was a “major attack on the media cartel”.
And that’s exactly what the Austrian provider seems to be after: The supposedly “alternative, independent television channel1” – as “AUF1” is advertised – is operated in Austria and almost exclusively by Austrians. But this media project is increasingly looking for its audience in Germany. The station has built up this primarily on Telegram. “AUF1” has a total of more than 250,000 subscribers there alone.
The aim is to connect “the well-intentioned”, it says on the website. The reason for founding the internet platform was the Corona pandemic, which showed “how quickly those who think differently are stigmatized, excluded and downright fought by those in power.”
The Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution informed this SWR upon request, “that ‘AUF1’ is also received as an ‘alternative medium’ by people who are assigned to the phenomenon area ‘delegitimization of the state relevant to constitutional protection’ that is being dealt with here.” This refers to participants in the “lateral thinking” movement through to so-called Reich citizens. Representatives of “AUF1” – self-proclaimed journalists – were present in the protests against the state’s corona protection measures in Baden-Württemberg, reports the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Ban on broadcasting via satellite
Corona now only plays a minor role in the “AUF1” program. Instead, a wide range of relevant conspiracy ideologies have long been served and AfD politicians like Alice Weidel and Höcke have been offered a stage – both on the Internet and on satellite television across Europe. The latter, however, until today. The state media authority in Baden-Württemberg – the LfK – has banned at least this distribution channel with immediate effect based on the assessment of the Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK).
The reason is not the content spread, but rather violations of German laws that are intended to protect media freedom. Accordingly, black rot gold tv GmbH, which owns the license for the satellite channel “SRGT”, concluded a deal with Media in res Medien GmbH: six hours of daily broadcasting time for “AUF1” on the “SRGT” channel in exchange for one that is not publicly available known sum.
But according to the ZAK, this deal violates the State Media Treaty. This is a prohibited “topic placement” by third parties, because “SRGT” has no editorial control over the content broadcast by “AUF1”.
violation of Media State Treaty
“The editorial independence of a broadcaster is a core requirement of our media regulations. The fact that ‘schwarz rot gold TV’ in this case gives extensive broadcasting time to third parties for a fee is considered by the ZAK to be a violation of the ban on influencing programming according to the State Media Treaty. This practice by the organizer is objected to and prohibited,” explained Wolfgang Kreißig, chairman of the ZAK and the Directors’ Conference of the State Media Authorities (DLM). SWR. “The violation must now be stopped immediately by the organizer.”
As managing director of “SRGT”, Wilfried Geissler contradicts this representation when asked: “For my part, I adhere to the requirements of the LfK, in particular the program sovereignty.” “UP1” has that SWR announced that it would consider legal action against the decision.
In an email, editor-in-chief Stefan Magnet is combative: “We will always find ways and means to broaden our ‘AUF1’ program.” And he doesn’t miss the opportunity to question state institutions once again: “We certainly won’t let ourselves be stopped, not even by the arbitrary actions of the authorities.”