Department head defended by ARD chief amidst criticism
In a recent interview with "Die Zeit," ARD Chairman Florian Hager addressed the sensitive issue of salaries for Intendanten, or director-generals, in public broadcasting. Hager acknowledged that the topic is often a contentious one, but he believes that the broadcasting fee would not be significantly reduced by eliminating salaries for Intendanten.
Hager's comments come as public broadcasters within the ARD consortium face criticism for high salaries and opaque expenditures. Each ARD member broadcaster's supervisory board determines the Intendant's salary in line with that broadcaster's rules and the legal framework for public broadcasting institutions in Germany. There is no single ARD-wide salary list that fixes every Intendant's pay centrally.
Recent media reporting has published annual gross compensation figures for individual Intendanten, with figures in the low-to-mid six-figure euro amounts. These are journalistic reports of disclosed payments rather than a new regulatory cap. In response to the criticism, broadcasters have tightened rules on external mandates and honoraria, improved expense reporting and oversight, and increased transparency by publishing exact remuneration figures for Intendanten.
ARD has also emphasised stricter internal controls and more detailed public reporting of top management pay and certain expense categories to address the criticism. Several broadcasters have conducted internal reviews and tightened rules on external mandates and honoraria, as well as improving expense reporting and oversight.
The increased scrutiny of broadcasting finances has pushed supervisory boards and the broadcasters themselves to justify remuneration decisions and explain budgetary effects. This has led to more comprehensive public reporting of top-level pay and certain expenditures.
Florian Hager suggested collaboration rather than dismantling the current ARD structure, stating that cuts to the program are considered a last resort. Hager's comments may have sparked further debate or discussion on the topic. Despite the controversy, Hager has accepted that his predecessors earned more than him, and he did not specify which former Intendanten he was addressing in his remarks about criticism of expenses.
In conclusion, ARD member broadcasters set Intendant salaries within statutory limits and established internal pay frameworks. Reported annual gross pay for individual Intendanten in 2024–2025 has ranged in the low-to-mid six-figure euro amounts. In response to public criticism about high pay and opaque expenditures, broadcasters and oversight bodies have emphasised stricter internal controls, clearer rules on outside mandates and honoraria, and more detailed public reporting of top management pay and certain expense categories to increase transparency.
- In the face of criticism regarding high salaries and unclear expenditures in public broadcasters, Florian Hager, ARD Chairman, proposes collaboration rather than dismantling the current structure, suggesting that policy-and-legislation modifications could address the issue.
- The increased scrutiny of broadcasting finances, including the publication of individual Intendanten's annual gross pay figures, has sparked debates in general-news about the politics surrounding salaries in public broadcasting institutions.
