07. 02. 12. - 10:25

ORF forced to leave Facebook

A media rights watchdog has ordered the ORF to exit Facebook.

Various programmes of the national broadcasting company managed 38 profiles on the social networking site to promote their contents and services. Now the federal media law authority decided that the TV and radio news and entertainment firm must withdraw from engaging on Facebook. Details on the verdict have not been disclosed.

ORF boss Alexander Wrabetz confirmed news that the institution decided in disfavour of his company at the weekend – and vowed to fight the verdict. The ORF general director said on Saturday he planned to appeal the decision and call on the Federal Constitutional Court (VfGH) and the Austrian Administration Court to reinvestigate.

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Media Affairs Secretary Josef Ostermayer said he was in favour of making changes to the current ORF law. Karlheinz Kopf of the SPÖ’s coalition partner, the People’s Party (ÖVP), warned from "rushed steps". Kopf argued that fairness among competitors on the domestic television and radio market must be ensured. He underlined that the ORF was, in contrast to private rivals, charging its viewers.

Representatives of the Greens, the Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) unanimously backed a possible change of legal restrictions affecting the ORF. However, the opposition factions are criticising the broadcaster over various issues. The Green Party said the firm’s Stiftungsrat council’s members must not have political background. The FPÖ runs an internet campaign against the ORF’s right to charge fees.

Recent viewer statistics show that the station’s popularity is in decline. Its channels ORF 1 and ORF 2 claimed a market share of 39.2 per cent together last month, down by 1.1 per cent from January 2011. ORF III, which was launched in October, achieved a share of just 0.7 per cent. The channel’s programme mainly consists of documentaries, political discussions, opera performances and concert productions.

ATV, the state-funded station’s main private rival, had a market share of 3.5 per cent last month (January 2011: 3.6 per cent). Puls 4, which went on air four years ago, kept its share stable at 3.1 per cent. ATV and Puls 4 succeed with reality TV formats but also screen acclaimed live chat shows focusing on social, political and economic issues. ATV started ATV2 some weeks ago. The new channel screens series, films and weather programmes.

Wrabetz has headed the ORF since 2006. An unusual cooperation of all major parties but the ÖVP helped him into office at that time. The agreement between SPÖ, FPÖ, Greens and BZÖ to back Wrabetz meant the end to the era of Monika Lindner. ORF journalists complained about permanent attempts of political intervention, especially by the ÖVP when she was in charge. Werner Mück, who headed the ORF’s news team at that time, was accused of allowing the conservative party to apply pressure on reporters.

Now ORF journalists and other employees of the company teamed up to speak out against the Social Democrats’ plans to influence decisions in the editorial office. Nikolaus Pelinka, a former spokesman of SPÖ Education and Culture Minister Claudia Schmied, withdrew his application as head of the office of Wrabetz only last month when thousands of viewers supported the ORF staff’s protest campaign on video platform YouTube and other websites.

Wrabetz was criticised for declaring Pelinka as new head manager of his office before advertising the position publicly. The ORF boss said he appreciated Pelinka’s withdrawal – and stressed that neither his nomination nor his pullout had a political background.

Caritas Austria President Franz Küberl, a member of the Stiftungsrat supervisory council, said the ORF "must avoid giving the impression that it engaged in trading posts following elections". Küberl claimed that the Pelinka controversy was solved "one millimetre from the precipice".