After Schlesinger’s resignation: The RBB is in ruins

Dhe German Association of Journalists (DJV) is really quick, you could also say: he is one step ahead of things. When Patricia Schlesinger announced her resignation as chair of the ARD last Thursday evening, the federal chairman of the DJV, Frank Überall, advised the director of the Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg (RBB) in the same breath: She should ask herself whether it would be advisable to be at the head of the transmitter to remain. As soon as Schlesinger’s resignation as artistic director was announced on Sunday evening, the journalists’ union said that “a convincing new start” was needed at the top of the station. It is exactly like that. But you should pause for a moment, look at the status quo and ask: What was that? What did who work out with whom? And then: what needs to change?

Suddenly the Broadcasting Council was awake

The fact that Patricia Schlesingers is now also retiring as director may have something to do with the fact that her station’s broadcasting board has scheduled a special meeting for this Monday, which could have resulted in her being forced to resign. To date, the supervisory body had not given the impression that it was doing its job with increased commitment. The Chair of the Broadcasting Council, Friederike von Kirchbach, declined the invitation of the Brandenburg state parliament to comment on the allegations of suspected nepotism in the broadcaster, as did the Director General Schlesinger and the Chairman of the RBB Board of Directors, Wolf-Dieter Wolf, who plays a central role in the affair.

But over the weekend the situation had changed significantly. One demand that Schlesingers should also resign as RBB director, one after the other came in, from Brandenburg and from federal politics. The RBB staff council expressed its displeasure. And then the previous allegations against Schlesinger and the RBB leadership were joined by others: 2021 an annual bonus for the management of the RBB, which Schlesinger allegedly brought in a five-digit amount according to “Business Insider”; the conversion of the executive floor in the broadcasting house for allegedly 650,000 euros, which the “Bild” newspaper wants to know about; the assumption of the taxes incurred for Schlesinger’s company car and chauffeur by the RBB, suspected inconsistencies at the official business dinner at the director’s house.

Before that it was – in fast forward – about what? It was and is about consulting contracts awarded in a questionable way for the construction of the planned “digital media house”, a consulting contract with the subsidiary RBB Media, a rental deal with Messe Berlin, consulting contracts for 140,000 euros for Schlesinger’s husband at Messe Berlin, the business meals and the extraordinary company car of the RBB boss. Not to forget the salary increase for the director by 16 percent to 303,000 euros, decided by the board of directors. In the center of the action next to her is said Wolf-Dieter Wolf as Chairman of the Board of Directors of RBB, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of RBB Media and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Berlin. The web portal “Business Insider” has fanned out this overall list, which raises questions about possible nepotism that have not been answered satisfactorily to this day, even if the members of the Brandenburg state parliament have now received mail from Schlesinger and they, like Wolf, reject all allegations.