Run-off decision - Administrative Director Vernau becomes new WDR Director-General
WDR-Administration Director Katrin Vernau will be the new Intendant of Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). The 51-year-old won in a runoff election at Cologne on Thursday against "Tagesthemen" moderator Helge Fuhst, 40. WDR Program Director and "Pressclub" moderator Jörg Schönenborn, 59, and ZDF Washington Studio Leader Elmar Thevessen, 57, also ran but both were eliminated after the first round of voting as they had the fewest votes among the candidates.
The result of the runoff was clear. 36 council members voted for Vernau, 18 for Fuhst. There was an abstention. A total of 55 Rundfunkrat members participated in the election.
New WDR Intendant wants "more courage for shaping ARD reforms"
In her presentation during the selection process, Vernau presented eight points on how she intends to lead the publicly-funded ARD broadcaster into the future. She spoke in favor of more regionality, more courage for shaping ARD reforms, and more cooperation with private companies – she mentioned the field of Artificial Intelligence here. The necessary transformation of WDR goes significantly beyond a journalistic task, said Vernau. In contrast to the three other candidates, the business economist by training is not a journalist by profession.
In response to a question from the Rundfunkrat as to why one could trust her, she answered: "Because I have already done it before." In 2022, she was elected as the interim intendant of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) for a one-year term in a crisis situation.
- Following her victory in the run-off election, Katrin Vernau expressed her intentions to bring "more courage for shaping ARD reforms" to WDR.
- Helge Fuhst, who contested in the run-off election against Vernau, had less support, with only 18 council members voting for him.
- The new WDR Intendant, Katrin Vernau, highlighted the importance of more cooperation with private companies, especially in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
- In a past crisis situation at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), Katrin Vernau served as the interim intendant for a one-year term, gaining valuable experience.
- Daily news outlets reported about the runoff election for the WDR Intendant post, with key figures like Jörg Schönenborn and Elmar Thevessen from ARD and ZDF having been eliminated in the initial round.
