Tom Bohreau requests “full explanation” from RBB
“Things seem really noisy on the executive floor”
RBB Director Patricia Schlesinger has resigned, and there are many allegations in the room. The issue of severance pay is now being discussed. “The RBB cannot change the €15,000 pension payments per month, it is yours,” says Anette Dowideit of the WELT investigative team.
Tom Bohreau, ARD’s acting chairman and director of WDR, fears the allegations against former RBB director Patricia Schlesinger could overshadow the “good work of thousands of employees”. Meanwhile, the CDU in Berlin is calling for a maximum salary cap for managers.
TOm Bohrau, acting president of the ARD and director of West German Broadcasting, clearly positions himself on this issue at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg and its outgoing director Patricia Schlesinger. “We now expect complete and transparent information from the RBB,” Bohreau explained to WELT AM SONNTAG and thus commented on the Schlesinger case for the first time.
“Thousands of ARD employees do a good job of our programs every day, and these allegations should not overshadow this, even if they are very serious. At the same time, we now have to look to the future.”
Tom Bohreau, Acting Chairman of ARD
These: PA / dpa / Oliver Berg
Bohru is Schlesinger’s successor as chair of the ARD board of directors after she also resigned from that position. “We will continue to review our structures at ARD, move forward with the reforms initiated with the goal of digital transformation and create more synergies together in order to deliver the best program for the people who pay us,” he explained. .
The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office has now taken over the investigations into the Schlesinger case. The reason given was the importance of the issue.
CDU in Berlin presents a position paper
Meanwhile, the CDU in Berlin is calling for far-reaching changes in Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg under the title “Enlightenment, Reform and Restoration of Trust”. In a position paper, available exclusively to WELT AM SONNTAG, Parliamentary and State Group Chairman Kay Wegener presents five “proposals for RBB’s future continuity”.
Referring to the Patricia Schlesinger case, Wegner explains: “The damage to RBB and public broadcasting as a whole is significant.” Also in the interest of employees, who should not be jointly responsible for the misconduct of individuals.
Specifically, Wegner suggests that in view of the pressure to save, “with small and medium-sized incomes, consideration must also be given to the wages of managers, directors and upper management personnel.” It cannot be explained why the members of the Board of Directors are paid more than the Federal President. Government contracts for state broadcasters must be modified accordingly.
In addition, it should apply “total transparency in the future” to the wages and pensions of management employees. Performance-related rewards that “could create false incentives” should be banned. This is especially true of the bonuses given for reducing the number of employees.
In addition, the control of the audit offices in Berlin and Brandenburg over the Asia Pacific regional office must be strengthened, and the board of directors must be professional in its function. In the future, it must belong to “at least one certified auditor”. An ‘Independent Internal Audit’ should be established and the ‘Existing Results Based Office Compliance Management’ should be strengthened. “In order to strengthen the monitoring function for the general public,” according to the will of the CDU, it should be possible in the future to submit applications under the Freedom of Information Act to the Administrative Department of the Regional Office for Russia and the Pacific. So far this is not possible.
Wegener is also demanding that Berlin Mayor Franziska Jaffe (SPD) and the Prime Minister of Brandenburg form an inter-party and interstate commission that will present concrete reform proposals by the end of the year.
