Strukturreformen des öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunks

The discussion on reforms of the organizational structure of public broadcasting, especially the federal ARD, has largely come to a standstill after the mergers to form SWR and RBB. This is remarkable, since the ARD is still under pressure to cut costs and the Saarland Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Bremen owe their independence to the ARD financial equalization system. Politicians must discuss the question of merging state broadcasting corporations from legal, economic and journalistic points of view. In the interests of the fee payers, it is important to exploit potential for savings without jeopardizing program quality. The ARD is interested in maintaining its regional diversity, but must increasingly show a willingness to reform. So are we only experiencing the calm before the storm? Philip Baugut and Maria-Theresa Grundler have leading state media policies in their analysis of the reform debate.