Both the BR and the WDR are filling the vacant program director positions in the two state broadcasters. Björn Wilhelm is to become the new program director for culture at Bayerischer Rundfunk. Andrea Schafarczyk, in turn, is to take over the office of program director NRW, knowledge and culture at WDR.
The director of the BR, Katja Wildermuth, suggested Wilhelm, who has been program manager at NDR up to now, to the Broadcasting Council to fill this top position. The council members still have to approve the 46-year-old’s appointment with a written resolution, this should take place in the coming days. WDR director Tom Buhrow proposed Schafarczyk to the broadcasting council of his station, who is currently editor-in-chief at Hessischer Rundfunk. The vote on these personnel is planned for the next meeting of the Broadcasting Council on January 25, 2022.
For Andrea Schafarczyk, the appointment would mean a return to WDR. The 46-year-old studied journalism, political science and history with the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung volunteered and then worked at WDR. At the young radio wave 1Live, she first directed the music and then the word-of-mouth editing. In 2015, Schafarczyk moved to Radio Bremen as editor-in-chief and in 2020 in the same position at the larger Hessischer Rundfunk. She should follow Valerie Weber, who is leaving WDR at the end of January after eight years as program director.
Björn Wilhelm is to switch from NDR to BR and become program director for culture there.
(Photo: Cordula Kropke / dpa)
Born in Braunschweig, Björn Wilhelm is currently head of the NDR television and coordination program in Hamburg. He was previously the head of NDR currently at 21:45 in the Landesfunkhaus Hannover as well as the editorial team for special projects, including the NDR Klassik Open Air responsible. Before joining NDR in 2002, Björn Wilhelm worked as an author for Deutsche Welle TV after studying law Frankfurter Rundschau and the Südwest-Presse, later worked as a reporter and editor for Sat 1 and various production companies. It combines what the director Wildermuth said is important for the future of the BR according to previous statements: Wilhelm is well versed in high culture as well as in news journalism.
Björn Wilhelm is to succeed Reinhard Scolik. The previous Culture Program Director is leaving the BR early at the end of the year. Actually, his contract would have run until the beginning of his retirement in September 2024. In October, however, the BR announced that the station was separating from Scolik prematurely – “by mutual agreement,” as it was called. The parties agreed not to disclose the reasons. However, it is an open secret in the BR that the artistic director Katja Wildermuth and Scolik have very different views of how this program area should be managed. Shortly before his departure, Wildermuth’s predecessor Ulrich Wilhelm extended the contract with Scolik without necessity – an unusual procedure that restricted the new director’s room for maneuver. Wildermuth has now obtained this, the personnel change is the most drastic decision so far since she took up office in February.