Status: 07.09.2022 3:43 p.m
Of the rbb is in a deep crisis, the investigations against the former broadcaster boss are just beginning. Schlesinger defended himself in a newspaper interview – but also admitted that he had misjudged the climate in the station.
Around two weeks after being dismissed without notice due to allegations of felony and nepotism, the former director of the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb), Patricia Schlesinger, reported in detail.
In an interview with the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, Schlesinger commented, among other things, on the allegations that she had hosted dinners in her private apartment that were said to have been private rather than official. She said: “I have accounted for everything to the best of my knowledge.” Regarding the selection of guests and the topics at the dinners, she added: “There were people from politics, business, culture, institutions and authorities sitting at the table, so we talked about politics, business, culture and public broadcasting. What is good, what’s going wrong? Such conversations have fluid transitions.”
Expensive company car and trouble about a massage chair
It was also criticized that the rbb received a very high discount for an expensive Schlesinger company car with massage seats – the manager also had a private chauffeur available. The 61-year-old said she didn’t want massage seats. “I didn’t configure the car myself. I don’t need massage seats, that’s superfluous gimmick for me.” Cars wouldn’t mean much to her. Privately, she drives a 17-year-old VW Polo.
The extensive renovation of the managerial area was also irritating – there is said to have been a massage chair there too. Schlesinger said: “The massage chair has become a symbol. I neither ordered nor used it.” The reason for the renovation was not a luxury craze, but “an urgently needed clean-up of harmful substances”. Moreover, the furniture in her former office came from her predecessor, Schlesinger said.
The ex-broadcaster also denied the allegation that she had given her husband Gerhard Spörl, a former “Spiegel” journalist, an order for her benefit. It turned out that no compliance rules had been violated.
Underestimated the displeasure of the employees
At the same time, Schlesinger admitted that he had underestimated the displeasure of the employees in the house. This was also due to major modernization projects that the management and they have initiated in recent years. Schlesinger mentioned shifts of parts of the linear programming budget to digital and savings in production and early evening television programming.
“From my point of view, the displeasure and anger in the station are so strong that I blame myself for not seeing it, I’m sorry.” She didn’t iron out problems. Elsewhere in the interview, she said: “I deeply regret that the entire public service system in particular is now coming under fire.”
“Like a Tsunami”
She was “shaken” by the impact of the reporting. It was “like a tsunami”. She was particularly affected by the fact that the allegations came from her closest environment.
Internal documents have been leaking out for weeks, especially the online medium “Business Insider” reported on many details of the allegations against the broadcaster boss. The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating since the beginning of August on suspicion of infidelity and taking advantage. The presumption of innocence applies until clarification. The rbb has led Schlesinger since 2016, since the beginning of this year she has also served as ARD-Chairman. In the interview, she left open whether she would take action against the termination without notice.