Election of artistic directors: Norbert Himmler becomes the new head of ZDF

The post of ZDF director will be filled in 2022. With Norbert Himmler, a man comes to the top who has made a career in the broadcaster. After two ballots with no clear outcome, his opponent had withdrawn.

ZDF program director Norbert Himmler is the new director of the Second German Television. The television council of the public broadcaster voted in the third ballot with the required majority for the 50-year-old to succeed Thomas Bellut, who had not run for another term and will be leaving in March 2022.

Himmler’s only opponent, ARD– Capital studio director Tina Hassel, had withdrawn her application after two ballots without a clear decision. Hassel said: “In the interests of public service broadcasting and a strong ZDF, I want a small majority to become a large majority.”

A majority of three fifths in the 60-strong ZDF television council was required for the election, which corresponds to at least 36 votes. Neither Himmler nor Hassel had come across this majority in two attempts. In the third ballot with no opponent, Himmler had 57 votes in favor, there was also one vote against and two abstentions.

Himmler started his career at ZDF

Himmler has spent his entire professional life in various functions at ZDF and knows the company well. As program director, he has held a key position in the development of the public service broadcaster in recent years. For years, ZDF has been the broadest broadcaster in Germany.

Born in Mainz, Himmler started as a freelancer in the “heute” editorial team of ZDF after studying German and political science at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and after completing a doctorate in Munich at the end of the 1990s. He then volunteered at the station. After his first positions, he became program officer for the ZDF editor-in-chief in 2002 and head of the “feature film” program area in 2008. He then filled other important positions in the feature film sector until he became program director.