Public Value Check
ORF Public Value asked scientists from Austrian educational institutions to assess the value and benefit of the awarded work. The quotes:
"Podcasts are an incredibly important medium to introduce young people to new forms of journalism. This podcast impresses with wit and innovation - it is unmistakably 'Austrian,' yet meets international standards. A successful mix!"
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sophie Lecheler, University of Vienna
"The Glue Boys with the podcast 'Gemeinderatssitzung' - these are three guys from the countryside who chat about everyday things and won the Newcomer Award. This category is purely a public award, and the Ö3 community determined the winner in this case. A great opportunity to connect with young listeners and provide a platform for emerging podcasts."
Mag. Gisela Reiter, FH Wien
"The podcast 'Gemeinderatssitzung' by the Glue Boys humorously demonstrates how public value can be generated. Through their Pinzgau roots and dialect usage, they strengthen regional identity awareness and cultural diversity by making Austrian dialects accessible as a modern part of pop culture. Their insights into their musical journey inspire aspiring artists and promote the local music scene. By highlighting the challenges and opportunities for young artists, they motivate creativity and demonstrate that success is possible independently of major labels. The casual exchange strengthens the sense of community among listeners, especially in Austrian youth culture, by addressing relevant topics and giving young people a voice.
'Gemeinderatssitzung' thus offers a low-threshold access to social topics for a young audience, which is often underrepresented in traditional media. Overall, the podcast contributes to regional identity, diversity, and participation, supports the Austrian music and creative scene, and enriches the public service offering as a digital format."
Dr. Denise Voci B.A., M.A., University of Klagenfurt
Further contributions to the discourse on public service quality and the documentation of public value are published by ORF in the publication series "PUBLIC VALUE TEXTE." Over 300 scientists and media experts have published relevant views on the quality debate there. On the topic of citizen proximity, for example, by Dr. Regula Troxler (FHWien): "Participation is more than citizen proximity" or "From new forms of communication to new forms of participation - or vice versa?" by Dr. Josef Seethaler and Dr. Maren Beaufort (Austrian Academy of Sciences).
All issues of "PUBLIC VALUE TEXTE" and various scientific studies on public value can be found here:
ORF Public Value - TEXTS (documents only available in german)
ORF Public Value - STUDIES (documents only available in german)
Citizens Proximity as a Public Value Cateogry
The category "Citizen Proximity" outlines ORF's performance in areas such as citizen rights broadcasts, audience contacts and participation, as well as off-air activities. The category is based, among other things, on the following passages from ORF regulations:
ORF Program Guidelines
Relevante Themen und Inhalte sind nicht nur zu kommunizieren, sondern im Sinne der Anregung eines öffentlichen Diskurses sowie persönlicher Reflexionen des Publikums auch kritisch zu würdigen.
ORF Quality Profile
Citizen proximity means, in the context of broadcasts on science, service, and life assistance, primarily the greatest possible comprehensibility for all population groups. In fulfilling the mission to disseminate and promote popular and youth education, ORF's offerings should, on the one hand, stimulate learning processes in the simple sense of understanding, comprehending, and retaining for education and training; on the other hand, they should - more comprehensively - aim to provide help for coping with life, promote social and political learning, and ultimately support the formation of consciousness and personality.
ORF Mission Statement
ORF acts independently of political parties and other interest groups and is solely committed to its audience and society.
Figures & Data
Below you will find exemplary numbers documenting the fulfillment of the public service mandate and the associated media quality. (Figures & Data only available in german.) Further information can be found in ORF's annual report to the Federal Chancellor and regulatory authority, the transparency report, the business and sustainability report, as well as the reports on equality (ORF Public Value - DOCUMENTS), the action plan on accessibility, or ORF's annual and consolidated financial statements.
Exemplary Figures
"Bürgeranwalt" - Top 5
| Sendungsname | Sender | Datum | Tsd. |
| Schweinestall / Studienplatz / Kontosperre Erste Bank | ORF 2 | 27.01. | 501 |
| Entgelt / Donauuferbahn / Billa Ossiach | ORF 2 | 10.02. | 483 |
| Fehlzeiten / Urnenbestattung / Lastprofil | ORF 2 | 03.02. | 471 |
| Long Covid / Fall Schlapschy / Solarrebell / Missglückter Immokauf | ORF 2 | 13.01. | 460 |
| Rezeptgebühr / Nachgefragt: Keine Rehe / Scooter / Nachgefragt: Vespa | ORF 2 | 17.02. | 459 |
| Sendungsname | Sender | Datum | Tsd. |
| Die Araber kommen | ORF 2 | 21.11. | 667 |
| Die Macht der Investoren | ORF 2 | 11.04. | 665 |
| Irgendwann bleiben wir dann dort | ORF 2 | 17.10. | 649 |
| Nur Bares ist Wahres | ORF 2 | 01.02. | 628 |
| Der gefährlichste Ort Wiens | ORF 2 | 02.05. | 617 |
"Am Schauplatz Gericht" - Top 5
| Sendungsname | Sender | Datum | Tsd. |
| Die zerbrechenden Häuser von Sommerein | ORF 2 | 25.01. | 662 |
| Nicht über meinen Grund | ORF 2 | 13.06. | 647 |
| Ein schwieriger Nachbar? | ORF 2 | 24.10. | 610 |
| Am rechten Weg? | ORF 2 | 25.04. | 609 |
| Gute Geschäfte mit Grund und Boden | ORF 2 | 25.07. | 570 |
"DialogForum" - Top 5
| Sendungsname | Sender | Datum | Tsd. |
| Was wir nicht sehen | ORF III | 07.02. | 16 |
| Kids Online | ORF III | 10.01. | 15 |
| Europäische Presse unter Druck | ORF III | 03.07. | 14 |
| Fragen an den ORF | ORF III | 05.06. | 11 |
| Innovativ. Kreativ. Öffentlich-rechltich. | ORF III | 06.11. | 10 |
"Im Zentrum" - Top 5
| Sendungsname | Sender | Datum | Tsd. |
| Regierungsbeteiligung der FPÖ | ORF 2 | 06.10. | 485 |
| USA - Trumps zweite Amtszeit | ORF 2 | 10.11. | 405 |
| Russland - Wiederwahl Putins | ORF 2 | 17.03. | 404 |
| Wahl 24: Landtagswahl Steiermark | ORF 2 | 24.11. | 403 |
| Steuerideen | ORF 2 | 28.01. | 399 |
