Education - Dispute over broadcasting fee: Kretschmann criticizes Hagel
CDU parliamentary group leader Manuel Hagel has spoken out firmly against an increase in the contribution to public broadcasting - and has thus drawn criticism from Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens). "A further increase in the broadcasting fee would be a completely wrong signal at this time. Large sections of the population would rightly have no understanding for this," Hagel, who is also CDU state leader, told the German Press Agency on Tuesday. "We therefore clearly reject this." Kretschmann, on the other hand, called for the proposals of the responsible commission to be heeded.
In times of multiple crises and increased inflation, many people have to look twice at their money and tighten their belts, said Hagel - this must also apply to politics, but also to public facilities and institutions in the state.
Hagel emphasized that the broadcasters would be able to fulfill their programming mandate well in the coming years with the current broadcasting contribution of around 8.5 billion euros in 2022. "Instead of relying on ever higher contributions, the public broadcasters should continue to drive forward the reform process aimed at streamlining and focus on quality, balance and diversity of opinion in their work." With new formats and more transparent management structures, lost trust in public service broadcasting could be regained.
Kretschmann, however, pointed out that the Commission for Determining the Financial Requirements of Broadcasters (KEF) was responsible for this issue. The commission's recommendation had to be heeded and could not simply be ignored. It is about an increase from 18.36 to 18.94 euros. "Whether this is the big hit for households is something that can be questioned."
Kretschmann said that everyone was called upon to take a close look to ensure that broadcasters handled the money carefully. The Minister President also said that he recommended reading the rulings of the Federal Constitutional Court on public broadcasting carefully. "It can easily backfire on you if you make purely political decisions without taking into account what the Federal Constitutional Court has said about the independence of broadcasting - and independence naturally also includes funding."
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- The Government in Baden-Württemberg, led by Minister President Winfried Kretschmann, advocates for the proposals of the Commission for Determining the Financial Requirements of Broadcasters (KEF) regarding the increase in the broadcasting contribution.
- In response to Kretschmann's call, the CDU parliamentary group leader, Manuel Hagel, stresses the importance of maintaining the current broadcasting contribution level, emphasizing its contribution to the broadcasters fulfilling their programming mandate.
- Underlining the current financial challenges faced by many people due to inflation, Hagel suggests that public institutions, including broadcasters, should be mindful of their expenses and focus on streamlining and improving the quality of their services.
- Contrasting Hagel's perspective, Kretschmann stresses the KEF's role in determining the financial requirements of broadcasters, suggesting that an increase from 18.36 to 18.94 euros is not excessive and should be given due consideration.
- In the German Press Agency broadcast in Stuttgart, Hagel argues that the public broadcasters should focus on driving reforms to regain lost trust, citing new formats and transparent management structures as potential solutions for improving their impact.
- Kretschmann warns against making purely political decisions towards public broadcasting funding without considering the Federal Constitutional Court's rulings on its independence, as stated in the case of Herzberger and others.
Source: www.stern.de
