media
Bettina Schausten becomes the new ZDF editor-in-chief
Bettina Schausten becomes the new ZDF editor-in-chief. Photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
After the change in directorship, ZDF has filled other top positions. The public broadcaster once again opted for in-house experts.
Bettina Schausten becomes ZDF editor-in-chief. The 57-year-old current deputy editor-in-chief will succeed editor-in-chief Peter Frey, who is retiring, on October 1, as the public broadcaster announced on Friday in Mainz.
The 64-year-old has been in charge of the editor-in-chief since 2010. The ZDF board of directors therefore followed the personnel proposal of the new director Norbert Himmler.
Millions of Germans know Schausten from television. She regularly interviews top politicians, for example in the ZDF format “What now?” and hosts major election night programs. From time to time she can also be seen as a presenter in the “heute-journal”. The 57-year-old has been head of the main editorial office for news and deputy ZDF editor-in-chief since spring 2019. Born in Lüdinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, the journalist has worked for public broadcasters for decades.
According to ZDF information, the board of directors decided on Friday further personal details that the director had proposed. Himmler was ZDF program director until he took office in mid-March. Nadine Bilke, who is currently head of the specialist channel ZDFneo, will be the successor to this key position as of May 1st. The 46-year-old stands for ZDF’s efforts to appeal to more younger people with series formats, for example.
ZDF Brussels studio manager Anne Gellinek will be deputy editor-in-chief – i.e. Schausten’s successor in her previous role. The 59-year-old also takes over the management of the main editorial office. Deputy program director will be Frank Zervos. The 45-year-old is currently responsible for a large part of the fictional programs on ZDF.
Intendant Himmler said: “The newly formed management stands for excellent journalism and innovative program management.” Together they will advance the digital transformation of ZDF. «Our goal remains: a high-quality and valuable offer for the whole of society.»
According to the ZDF state contract, the board of directors supervises the work of the director. The committee consists of twelve members. Four of them are representatives of the federal states, including Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and Brandenburg’s head of state Dietmar Woidke (SPD). The chairman of the committee is the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer (SPD).
Eight other members are elected to the Board of Directors by the Television Council, which in turn oversees the station’s program work. You may not be part of a government or a member of the Bundestag or state parliaments. The Board of Directors currently includes representatives from universities, for example.