Because of allegations of nepotism, taking advantage and waste, Patricia Schlesinger had come under massive criticism as director of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) – and had already resigned from her post and been dismissed. It is now clear that the 61-year-old will also be formally dismissed without notice. This decision was made by the majority of the station’s board of directors on Monday afternoon, as the acting chairman of the board, Dorette König, announced.
Schlesinger will not receive any severance pay or pension payments. The trust between Schlesinger and the broadcaster had been severely destroyed, said König.
Many would now like to get rid of the entire management team
The second part of the meeting also dealt with the question of how a new start at the top of the station can be successful. The Board of Directors has decided to temporarily appoint a new interim director from outside. Hagen Brandstätter is currently responsible for managing the RBB – but many now want to get rid of him.
As administrative director, Brandstäter was already Patricia Schlesinger’s deputy. After her resignation, he was promoted to the top of the station as managing director. The 63-year-old has recently come under criticism. He had been part of Schlesinger’s closest management team for years, and he had held the post of administrative director since RBB was founded in 2003. So if anyone should have been familiar with the station’s internals due to their position, then it was Brandstäter. He also belonged to the group of executives who contractually received high additional “performance-related remuneration”. After long public and internal debates about this bonus system, Brandstätter published the figures last week: According to this, 27 executives received this additional remuneration. Brandstätter, for example, received a basic salary of 230,000 euros as administrative director. In terms of additional remuneration, he came up with 30,738 euros last year.
Hagen Brandstäter is on sick leave – and has not commented so far
Together with four other directors of the station, the 63-year-old forms the so-called management. She was accused of not working through and communicating the grievances in her own house intensively enough. WDR director Tom Buhrow, for example, criticized the fact that he, as the acting ARD boss again, only found out most of the details of the affair from the press. Buhrow and the seven other directors of the state institutions had publicly expressed their distrust in the management of the RBB at the weekend. Brandstäter himself has not yet commented on the allegations. He is currently on sick leave for several weeks, as reported by the RBB.
Meanwhile, the RBB editors and politicians also demanded a clear cut and a fresh start. The leader of the SPD parliamentary group in Brandenburg, Daniel Keller, called on the RBB control bodies during the current session on twitter to appoint a new temporary director: “Mr. Brandstätter’s communication is not conducive to the transparent investigation process and the RBB as a whole, he himself has become a burden for the RBB,” said Keller.
The station’s staff council also met on Monday morning. There, too, they wanted “outside expertise,” as Sabine Jauer said when asked by SZ. As a representative of the staff council, the radio journalist also sits on the board of directors and had a vote on the decision that has now been made.
This “interim solution from outside” has never existed in the history of the public service – just like Schlesinger’s dismissal before. The state contract of the RBB, which legally regulates which body can appoint and dismiss which persons, does not provide any clear regulation for such a case. How exactly an interim directorship can be designed is complicated.
Deposing the managing director Brandstäter and his management at the same time – as many in the station now want – would be tricky.
The state and ARD cannot and must not intervene directly
Although there has now been mass criticism from ARD and politics, both are not allowed to intervene directly in this case. This is regulated in detail by law and contract. After all, the RBB, like all state institutions within the ARD, is completely independent – and the hands of the state of Brandenburg are also tied as the legal supervisor. A state commissioner can be appointed in municipalities and counties to get them back on track. That is unthinkable in the case of the RBB. After all, remoteness from the state and freedom of the press are the highest good, also for the public broadcasters. So no one from politics may be installed.
But one thing is clear: RBB needs an intact management floor that clears up grievances, stands up for responsible, economical action and strives to win back lost trust. If such a line is missing, the transmitter would be largely unable to act. The supervisory bodies now want and must avoid this as far as possible – and therefore want to look for a suitable manager as quickly as possible.
This week, it should be clarified how this new beginning can be shaped exactly. After the Board of Directors, the Broadcasting Council will also meet for another special session on the matter on Thursday. According to SZ information, a staff meeting is also planned for Friday.