WDR director Tom Buhrow wants to make public broadcasting fit for the future. This requires reform. Among other things, he calls for a round table to negotiate a social contract. Possible channel mergers and the future of media libraries are also the subject of his speech.
The director of West German Broadcasting (WDR), Tom Buhrow, has spoken out in favor of major broadcasting reform and a new social contract for public broadcasters. “My firm impression is that Germany doesn’t seem to want us to the same extent in ten years – nor to want to finance it as it does today,” said the 64-year-old on Wednesday evening in front of the Übersee-Club in Hamburg, which regularly has high-ranking representatives business, politics and culture. The “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” published Buhrow’s speech.
In the speech, the director continued: “If we don’t make a new start responsibly and honestly, the worst case scenario will not be a new start. But non-profit broadcasting is simply too important for that.”
Buhrow, who expressly spoke for himself and not in his capacity as the current ARD chairman, suggested key points for the reform. “Firstly, we have to break out of the previous system of state chancellery here and broadcaster there. Secondly, we need a round table to work out a new social contract. A kind of constituent assembly for our new, non-profit broadcasting.” Thirdly, there should be no taboos or bans on thinking at this round table. Buhrow also spoke of reliability and security for at least one generation.
Von Buhrow went on to say that it needed a new intellectual start without the typical self-defense reflexes, and he explained this with a view to the ARD joint program “Das Erste” and the main program of ZDF: “The first question – I think – that we ask ourselves must be: Does Germany in the 21st century want to continue to have two nationwide, linear television stations in parallel? If not: what does that mean? Should one disappear completely and the other stay? Or should they merge and the best of both will remain?”
The speech also dealt with the future design of the ARD regional programs and the role of orchestras, big bands and choirs. In addition, Buhrow campaigned for an open discussion about nationwide radio, which has not yet existed within the ARD. Buhrow also took up his idea, expressed years ago, of a single large media library in public broadcasting in 2030. So far, ARD and ZDF have been working together in a more networked manner, but they continue to have independent media libraries.
The WDR director and former “Tagesthemen” moderator also addressed the topic of transmitter mergers in the ARD and referred to the history of RBB or SWR, each of which emerged from two institutions. Behind this is the important question of how many independent broadcasters should be part of the federal structure and diversity in Germany. “This will not be solved by broadcaster by broadcaster and state by state – but only in a larger context.”