At the crisis-ridden broadcaster RBB, the chair movement continues. The Broadcasting Councilor describes her resignation as a contribution to renewal. In fact, new details had become known the day before, which at least raise questions about their actions.
The chairwoman of the RBB broadcasting council, Friederike von Kirchbach, resigns with immediate effect in view of the crisis at the public broadcaster ARD. The 67-year-old announces this in a statement. There is now another personal consequence in the affair about allegations of nepotism against the recalled director Patricia Schlesinger. Now her deputy Dieter Pienkny is taking over the official business on an interim basis.
“RBB is about to make a new start. After ten years as Chair of the Broadcasting Council, I would like to make a contribution and make my office available,” said von Kirchbach. With the dismissal of Schlesinger as director, the committee cleared the way for new structures and people in the ARD broadcaster. “For everything that comes now, I see new people in charge, so I’m resigning,” it said.
The day before it had become known that von Kirchbach had married the previous head of department and head of human resources, who has since been appointed acting administrative director, and the acting legal director. Both have two children, but have since separated, as the “Berliner Zeitung” quotes from the most recent staff meeting. Von Kirchbach studied theology. The new administrative director has asserted that apart from the wedding there were no private contacts and that she kept business and private separate, the report goes on to say.
In her statement, the 67-year-old also emphasized that the current debate about the RBB and the public service system should not be about people, for her the matter is in the foreground. “This includes the self-critical review of our work in the Broadcasting Council in the past. It is important to me to have helped initiate this discussion.”
On the other hand, she is not willing to have her professional integrity as a pastor and pastor called into question, this is happening publicly and is not acceptable to her. Von Kirchbach has chaired the supervisory body since 2013 and has been a member since 2007. At that time she had been sent by the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia.
The Broadcasting Council is one of the control bodies in the public broadcaster, it keeps an eye on the program work. The committee also elects the director. On Monday, the members of the Broadcasting Council recalled Schlesinger. The Board of Directors, as the second control body, is now dealing with the specific termination of the contract.
