DGs, job cuts & funding crises

Austria: A tale of two DGs

A member of ORF’s Foundation Board has alleged the appointment of the broadcaster’s new director general was “politically coordinated”. Peter Westenthaler, representing the far-right opposition party FPÖ on the board, filed the complaint to the regulator, KommAustria, and was supported by 360 licence fee payers, well above the 120 required. 

Clemens Pig, who was appointed to the position of DG by the Foundation Board in June, recently appointed his management team, who will also need to be approved by the board. The Foundation Board, responsible for appointing the director general for a five-year term, is made up of a combination of political (both government and non-government) representatives, as well as from the federal states, central works council, and the public council. 

According to Der Standard, Westenthaler alleged that Pig’s appointment was in breach of the European Media Freedom Act, in that it was not based on “transparent, objective, non-discriminatory, and proportionate criteria.” He argued that his appointment, supported by the governing conservative party, ÖVP and the social democratic party, SPÖ, was a foregone conclusion. 

For his part, Pig iterated his independence, and also said the appointment of the management team was done with external consultants to ensure integrity. KommAustria will now consider Westenhaler’s complaint, while the FPÖ have also threatened raising the issue to the European Court of Justice. 

It comes as ORF’s former director general, Roland Weißmann, begins legal proceedings against the public broadcaster. Weißmann was dismissed from his role in May, due to accusations of sexual harassment. He is suing the ORF for €4 million (US$4.6 million) in damages. 

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Taiwan: Cuts for PTS and Taiwan Plus approved by Yuan

The Legislative Yuan has approved a NT$21.85 million (US$680,000) funding reduction for PTS, while an additional NT$200 million (US$6.3 million) will be frozen until the new board of directors are appointed, according to UDN. Taiwan Plus, meanwhile, will see its budget reduced by NT$200 million (US$6.3 million). While still significant, the cuts are not as drastic as they could have been. Another amendment, which was ultimately rejected, suggested cutting NT$50 million (US$1.5 million) and freezing NT$622 million (US$19.5 million), which is nearly a third of PTS’ overall budget. 

Put forward by opposition legislators, the amendments were part of a proposed package of cuts, as the government’s budget was finally approved after 350 days of deliberation. 

It comes after both PMA and RSF called for the cuts to be scrapped. “In democracies, the public media are a crucial means for citizens to access accurate information from an independent outlet,” said RSF. “They must be given sufficient resources to fulfil their mission, and their independence must be guaranteed.” Taiwan Plus, meanwhile, launched a public appeal to support their mission. “Sustaining Taiwan’s first international public media platform is an investment in Taiwan’s ability to engage global audiences and ensure its stories continue to be heard.” 

While the frozen part of the budget should technically be released once the board is fully functioning, critics have pointed out it is effectively a cut, given the current state of paralysis that the PTS board is experiencing. While many current board members’ terms have already expired, the Executive and Legislative Yuans have been unable to agree on new appointments. 

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New Zealand: RNZ announces further workforce cuts amid funding pressures

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) is set to cut around 10 percent of its workforce over the next fiscal year, affecting approximately 25 to 30 roles, as it grapples to address further reductions in government funding. The broadcaster has already reduced spending and staffing over the past year, with further funding cuts expected over the next two years.

RNZ said it would prioritise “trusted news, information and entertainment” while aiming to curtail any impacts on content and audiences. Staff will initially be provided with voluntary redundancy options as part of efforts to improve efficiency and maintain the broadcaster’s public media mandate. 

However, the cuts are already affecting RNZ programming, which has seen its Saturday Morning programme hosts reduced from two to one and its production team reduced as the broadcaster seeks to reduce costs.

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South Africa: SABC funding crisis raises concerns over fair election coverage

South Africa’s public broadcaster, the SABC, is facing mounting financial pressures ahead of the 2026 local government elections, with Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies warning that it needs approximately R120 million (US$7.4 million) to provide equal and comprehensive election coverage. 

With South Africans due to go to the polls on 4 November, concerns have also grown over the broadcaster’s audience, with viewership falling in favour of social media, podcasts and other platforms. The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies has also warned that the SABC could suspend operations as early as December if a sustainable funding model is not finalised, while MPs have cautioned that entering the election period without sufficient funding could encourage partisan coverage. Others have also warned that the broadcaster’s decline risks weakening public access to reliable, impartial information and, critically, the country’s democratic discourse.

Meanwhile, South African lawmakers have called for greater collaboration between the SABC and Netflix, following concerns that disagreements over intellectual property ownership and business models have limited opportunities for cooperation. The proposal comes after the government considered introducing a levy on streaming platforms such as Netflix to help fund the public broadcaster.

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