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What is the state of public media companies in Europe? At the biannual Public Value DACH meeting on 14-15 October 2024, the public value representatives of public media companies from Germany, Switzerland and Austria met in Vienna to address precisely this question. [Watch the Video]

Is the global expansion of Google & Co progressing unhindered or is the EU implementing effective regulatory measures? Can quality journalism assert itself in the face of globally operating corporations and radically changed media consumption? Will there be a new ORF law in 2025 to guarantee the independence of its committees? What does Roger de Weck mean with the title of his book "Prinzip Trotzdem. Warum wir den Journalismus vor den Medien retten müssen"[more]

In a new report, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) documents the contributions of public service media in various aspects of life. For every euro invested in public service media, it generates almost three times that amount in the economy, securing over 60,000 jobs in Europe.[more]

 

Digitale Innovationen öffentlich-rechtlicher Medien in Europa

Sind diese globalen Giganten tatsächlich konkurrenzlos? Ist ihr Aufstieg unaufhaltbar? Wie reagieren etablierte redaktionelle Medien darauf? Können öffentlich-rechtliche Medien standhalten? Besteht ihre einzige Chance darin, die Angebote der weltweit dominierenden Geschäftsmodelle mit ihren Inhalten zu füttern? Und vor allem: Gibt es in Europa Alternativen zu Google & Co?

Mit diesen Fragen beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Public Value-Studie. [mehr]

The book contains contributions from over 160 authors, including Erika Pluhar, Regina Fritsch, Herbert Prohaska, Rudolf Buchbinder and Peter Cornelius, numerous ORF editors and presenters such as Robert Kratky, Andreas Knoll and Angelika Lang, as well as Corinna Drumm (VÖP), former radio pirate Margit Wolfsberger and Ulli Weish (Radio Orange). The content ranges from memories of personally significant musical moments to descriptions of relevant presenters and fictional radio characters from 100 years of radio programmes to the history of technology, including hoppalas, from historical analyses of the history of radio during the corporative state and National Socialism to radio politics in the Second Republic. [more]

For 100 years, radio has been a daily companion for people in Austria. Research by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) now also indicates this. More radio is listened to in Austria than in most European countries. The EBU trend forecast shows that radio is still very important in society and will not disappear any time soon. At the same time, radio is becoming more mobile, more diverse and, above all, more future-orientated. [more]

Entertainment programs don't have it easy. In contrast to information programs, they are often dismissed as unnecessary. This is wrong. A collection of research findings on the social value of entertainment shows why. [more]

"When hatred is unleashed in public, it can no longer be controlled and we are all in danger." So says Beata Belogová, editor-in-chief of the Slovakian daily newspaper "SME". The situation in our neighboring country after the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico is indeed worrying. Watch the DialogForum on the topic now. [Video] (German)

ORF has won the European Technology and Innovation Award of the European Broadcast Union (EBU), an association of 68 broadcasters, with its self-developed AI software "AiDitor". The innovative software supports journalists in radio, TV and online newsrooms in their work. "We are currently working on concepts for how we can make public service content available to our audience online in an even better and more contemporary way in the future, so that we don't leave this field to the global tech giants alone," says Stefan Kollinger, Chief Innovation Officer in the ORF Directorate for Technology and Digitisation. [more]

ORF's "Accessibility and Inclusion" department launches the "Make yourself visible" initiative, a pioneering project to promote the public presence of people with disabilities in advertising and subsequently also on television. [more]

Europe is facing major challenges. In addition to the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis and the increasing segmentation and polarization of its societies, the independence of Europe's media is also under scrutiny. Governments that invoke “illiberal democracy” or no less problematic “message control” are restricting press freedom. Populist and nationalist parties are attacking critical journalists. At the same time, fake news and hate speech are spreading on a threatening scale via social media channels. This is also challenging Europe's public media. How are they reacting to the digital transformation? Are they able to defend their independence? How do they meet the current challenges? 

The authors of the special issue of TEXTE 28 address these questions. Academics and media experts from all EU member states (and Switzerland) analyze the situation of public service media in their countries. [more]

Researchers Matthias Karmasin, Stefan Strauß and Magdalena Pöschl investigated this question in their study by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). They presented the less than optimistic results to the Austrian parliament. The business ideology of social media promotes polarization and trust in politics, science and the media is dwindling. There is little regulation, which would leave liberal democracies in social networks in a "vacuum". According to the research findings, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and co. have positive effects in autocracies, but have an "increasingly negative" impact on liberal democracies. The ÖAW researchers therefore come to the pessimistic conclusion that social networks do not promote diversity of opinion and participation in discourse as expected, but paradoxically have the opposite effect. [more]

Why is it so easy to spread fake news and conspiracy theories? Who can we trust online? How can the digital word be improved? Find out in this video. [more]

It's no longer a secret that Google, Facebook, Amazon and other Tech Giants collect their users' data in order to improve their software and personalize online advertising. Despite this fact, these services and platforms are used by billions of people around the world. Is there any chance to shape the digital world into a more democratic and less profit-seeking direction? A video by Viktoria Tatschl [more]