Rainer Robra, head of the state Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt and Minister of culture. In addition, the CDU-politician is a member of the broadcasting Commission of the Länder and the ZDF television Council. In this Interview, he explains why in his state of a broadcasting fee of 17,98 Euro is the threshold of pain and what he thinks of the “Framing Manual” for the ARD.
Mr Robra, the Statements after the last Meeting of the Prime Minister with the Director of the public broadcaster sounded optimistic. Constructively to the conversation. What is meant by that?
The Minister of the interior and Prime Minister have called for further austerity measures in the institutions, the Directors, conversely, mentioned previously resident. Also the design of the understanding on the importance of public broadcasting was safe in an ever more fragmented media world.
This means that the transmitter will follow the requirements of the Federal constitutional court, that is to say to develop a profile of their offerings, the non-market economic incentives, but contributes to content diversity, which alone can be about the free market is not guaranteed. In the circle of the countries, it is agreed that a Profile of the order is to be made.
The tasks on the one hand, the financing of ARD, ZDF and Germany radio the other.
The heads of government know that the radio is financing his job accordingly and keep under consideration of opportunities for savings on the KEF has pointed out, a moderate increase in the levels of broadcasting contribution rates starting in 2021. Not a few among them expect an increase of not more than 17,98 Euro per month – which requires moderate applications of the institutions, the Commission for the determination of the financial needs, of the KEF.
17.98 euros from 1. January 2021, that’s what it runs?
a Few Prime Minister does not emphasize the interior and the Prime Minister that in their countries the contribution in question was so crucial and that’s why a higher adjustment is possible. In our state, so Saxony-Anhalt, this would be but a wall of sound that should not be broken. This 17.98 euros were already a couple of years before by the increased revenue from the contribution on Euro 17.50 lowered.
Read also: The East a province is, the lower the willingness to increase, the Western, the higher.
There is also the South and the North. It is true that the price sensitivity in the East is generally, and with a view to the broadcasting contribution fee is significantly higher. At the same time, there is still a mismatch in the perception and representation of the life-worlds of East and West by the public-law programs. As it has been, without doubt, improvements in news, documentaries and fictional productions, but we are not yet where we should be.
What can imagine the Prime Minister, with the transmitter heads on hearing? Or just look bored on your mobile phones?
no, we can talk together and hard to the point, it’s too much on both sides. The institutions need to know that, in the case of the KEF-registration until 30. April 2019 not exaggerate or over-the-top allowed. The procedure is, in our circles as to the public, in a psychologically very difficult Phase.
Is the index model for the future funding on the table?
on The contrary. In the broadcasting Commission of willingness on the part of the adjustment of the radio’s contribution qua KEF-procedure grows for two years, from 1. January 2021 to 31. December 2022, to apply. For the two years after that, an index model. Details are not yet fixed, nor for the future of KEF-Procedure and indexing.
Rainer Robra, head of the state Chancellery of Saxony-Anhalt and Minister of culture. The CDU politician and a lawyer working in the…photo: picture alliance / dpa
Which Index is because of your?
It is obvious, from the consumer price index to be assumed. At the same time may be connected so that no automatism, it rationalization, reductions must be possible, the challenges for the broadcasters pretend to behave frugally.
Why this zig-zag course at the funding models?
the basic idea is to increase the security of planning for the institutions, so that economic efficiency reserves are exhausted. Also, the country should be relieved of this KEF-proceedings in the parliaments Yes no game. However, we need, and that is very important to me, also, in the future, a strong participation of the country in days. It must not give the impression that the parliaments of the länder are pressed out of the procedure and the responsibility in terms of tasks, structure and financing of the public broadcaster. An Index can also lead to Over – or under-compensate the financial needs. Here regulations need to be established, here, too, the country must participate in the decision of days.
So also the Oil prices are not determine in the future, the amount of the broadcasting fee?
no, there will be no “stairway to heaven” for the institutions. The savings and efficiency pressure must be maintained.
Prime Minister and Director are in terms of your last call, agreed that “public broadcasting needs a wide acceptance”. How helpful is the recently made known “Framing Manual” for the ARD?
Helpful for the acceptance, it may be, if the institutions provide information about their functioning objectively. Something like “Framing” is the exact opposite of Information. In this extremely sensitive Phase of the overall process, the “Framing Manual” is anything other than helpful.
As it stands now, the future task, the future structure of public broadcasting?What, then, of the future tasks, the future structure of public broadcasting?
It can only go about sharpening the public profile, the Public-Value occurs. And always, so that new Offerings such as the very successful platform zdfkultur.de you do not have other means required, but rather that they arise to be funded by a further exchange of development neutral.
what aspect in the overall process, you are particularly optimistic, which is particularly pessimistic?
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I am very optimistic that we will find an alternating method in the case of the post-fixing from KEF and Index. Very pessimistic I am with the question of whether the institutions, cautious enough so that we can at all come in this legislative process.
