By Ishmael Hormess
The Zoff about the mega salaries of the public managers goes into the next round!
SWR director and chairman of the ARD, Kai Gniffke (62, SPD), had to justify his salary in the past (2021: 30,083 euros per month). Now Gniffke says in an interview with the political magazine “Panorama” of the ARD, he feels his salary is appropriate.
︎ The curious reasoning: Every day he is responsible for 15 million people for whom the SWR in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg provides offers and “for 5000 people who work in the SWR,” said Gniffke in said interview.
Around 30,000 euros a month – is that justified?
Gniffke earns as much as his party friend and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (30,189.81 euros a month) and more than any prime minister. Why is that “appropriate”?
The ARD boss compares himself and his salary with other public companies. For example municipal utilities, transport and utility companies. Because there, the salary in management positions is usually higher than in the managerial positions of the ARD broadcasters.
Gniffke says: “In the broadest sense, we are a media supply company.” Because they provide 15 million people in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate “every day with information, entertainment, education and advice”.
Mega salary or not, one thing is certain: the vast majority of Germans find public broadcasting, for which they HAVE to pay 18.36 euros a month, far too expensive. The generous salaries of directors are also financed by the mandatory contributions.
ARD plan: 25 euros broadcasting fee!
But what the public audience is willing to pay doesn’t bother the ARD bosses around director Kai Gniffke. In the meantime, they are planning to raise the radio contribution to up to 25.19 euros per month!
This emerges from internal strategy papers available to “Business Insiders”. Accordingly, for the period from 2025 to 2028, they are planning an increase of up to 6.83 euros.
That’s over a third!