08 - Culture: Manuela Tomić, Kurt Reissnegger

Manuela Tomić writes prose, poetry, and radio plays. Kurt Reissnegger leads Ö1. "Pale Hours / Blijedi sati" is a multilingual radio play by Manuela Tomić and was awarded the Prix Italia 2024 and the Prix Europa 2024. In "Pale Hours/Blijedi sati" (German/Serbo-Croatian), a car ride becomes a journey into the past, to the oracle of great family secrets. Memories of life before the war, the escape, and stories about arriving in a foreign land are negotiated both in moments of microsleep and in wakeful reflections. To ensure future successes like this, cultural work is necessary, says Manuela Tomić in an interview with Public Value.



Public Value Check

ORF Public Value asked scientists from Austrian educational institutions to assess the value and benefits of the award-winning work. The quotes:

"With the radio play "Pale Hours," not only is a piece of family history told, but above all, the cruelty of war is addressed. In a democratic and peaceful society, dealing with war trauma and the individual consequences of military conflicts is a meaningful way to seek non-violent solutions for one's own conflicts. Democratic education can take place in many different formats and is sensibly located as a radio play in public broadcasting."
Mag.a Gisela Reiter, FH Wien

"The genre of radio plays is already a classic public broadcasting program form, and this production is additionally characterized by its thematic focus - the family history between cultures. Such productions deserve to be used not only in radio broadcasting but also in education, in schools, or other educational institutions."
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Steinmaurer, University of Salzburg

"The ORF broadcast by Kurt Reisenegger is dedicated to the award-winning radio play Pale Hours / Blijedi Sati by Manuela Tomic and thus fulfills the public value mandate in multiple ways. Awarded at the Prix Italia and Prix Europa as an outstanding European media project on identity, diversity, and inclusion, the Ö1 broadcast makes these central values accessible to a broad audience.

The radio play tells a personal but universally relevant story about escape, war, and belonging. It addresses the consequences of the Bosnian War for a family and makes exile and migration emotionally tangible. It shows that escape and war are not only political events but also shape individual life stories. The multilingual storytelling in German and Serbo-Croatian highlights the complexity of cultural identity and underscores that multilingualism is an integral part of Austrian society. Thus, the broadcast contributes to making linguistic and identity diversity visible, giving minorities a voice, and promoting intercultural dialogue. By airing this work, ORF connects history, culture, and society in an artistic way and strengthens its role as a platform for high-quality and socially relevant content."
Dr. Denise Voci B.A., M.A., University of Klagenfurt

Further contributions to the discourse on public broadcasting 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 "Culture," for example, "Culture on Television. An Implicit Program Imperative" by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Hannes Haas.

The topic was also addressed in the ORF expert discussion. Numerous statements express the understanding of public broadcasting quality by editors. For example, Siegfried Steinlechner, Philipp Scheiblbrandner; the documentation on the creation of the channel "ORF III Kultur und Information" can be found on the online presence of ORF Public Value.

All editions 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)

Culture as a Public Value Category

The "Culture" category documents ORF's performance in cultural reporting and in reports and documentaries on Austrian and international cultural and artistic life. The category is based, among other things, on the following passages from ORF regulations:

ORF Law
§ 4. (1) ) The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation is responsible for the mediation and promotion of art, culture, and science, as well as for providing a diverse cultural offering. (4) In particular, programs in the areas of information, culture, and science must be distinguished by high quality.
§ 4c. (1) The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation must, as far as economically feasible, organize a television special-interest program that includes a comprehensive range of programs with informational or educational character as well as cultural programs.


ORF Quality Profile

ORF culture is not understood as art for "elites," but rather it is important to showcase new, attractive content for a dispersed mass audience while not neglecting individual art forms. In particular, the presentation of culture and art, for example through broadcasts, in the form of films or recordings of operas, theater, or concerts, should also consider the audience's desire for relaxation and stimulation.


ORF Mission Statement

Art and culture are central values for ORF. Its programs and activities stimulate, promote, and convey cultural diversity in society. ORF's cultural mission applies to the entire population and extends to all areas of people's lives in a regional, national, and global context.

Figures & Data

Below you will find exemplary numbers that document the fulfillment of the public broadcasting mandate and the associated media quality. 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 for accessibility, or ORF's annual and consolidated financial statements.

Exemplary Figures

Cultural terms in the ORF Archive

350x Buch

558x Ausstellung

1.379x Musik

397x Tanz

390x Kino

topos.ORF.at

1,9 Mio. Visits im Monatsschnitt

680.000 Unique Clients im Monatsschnitt

39% der User:innen waren in der Altersgruppe 30-49 Jahre

"Kulturmontag" - Top 5

Sendungsname	Sender	Datum	Tsd.
Die Hüllen Freaks / Einmalig Vielfältig: Die Eröffnung der Tangente in St.Pölten / Stefan Bachmann / Wien 1948: Das Haus am Gordon Place	ORF 2	29.04.	275
Western Promises - Elevate Festival / WAM - Eröffnung Wiener Aktionismus Museum / Denkmalschutz wohin? - Die neue Novelle / And the Oscar goes to ...	ORF 2	11.03.	272
Susanne Gregor / Porträt Markus Bacher / 70. Geburtstag Karl Markus Gauß / Staatsziel Kultur / Milo Rau / Auftakt der Wiener Festwochen / Dem Vorarlberger Dialekt auf der Spur	ORF 2	13.05.	266
Mieze Medusa / Folie à deux: Der neue Joker / 75 Jahre Jeunesse / Franz Schuh / Über Zuversicht in Zeiten von Krisen / Nach der Wahl	ORF 2	ORF 2	261
Manos Tsangaris auf Schönbergs Spuren / Christoph Ransmayr durch die Welt / "Das geheime Stockwerk": Kinderwohlkonzept / Internationales Kinderfilmfestival / Die Nestroy-Gala 2024 / Barbara Streisand: Biographie / Bilanz Kulturhauptstadt-Jahr	ORF 2	25.11.	260

Radiokulturhaus

Veranstaltungen gesamt	230
Gesprächsveranstaltungen	110
Konzerte	120
davon mit österreichischen Musiker:innen	100
Kulturschaffende	500
Besucher:innen	20.000
12.000 Radio-Minuten
7.200 TV-Stunden
60 Videostreams für ORF ON
1 Familienkonzert für ORF KIDS

Radiosymphonieorchester

7 Uraufführungen

6 Erstaufführungen

63 Konzerte und Opernproduktionen

12.000 Radiominuten für Ö1

23 Übertragungen für Ö1

11 CD- und Digitalreleases

10 junge Talente in der ORF RSO Orchesterakademie

Kultur im Radio

1.655 Ö1	18 Ö3	376 FM4
204 Radio Burgenland	174 Radio Kärnten	105 Radio Niederösterreich
63 Radio Oberösterreich	159 Radio Salzburg	180 Radio Steiermark
82 Radio Tirol	103 Radio Vorarlberg	84 Radio Wien

Musik im Radio

17,48% Ernste Musik	6,20% Oldies/Evergreens	35,13% Pop
30,14% Alternative	8,68% Unterhaltungsmusik /Schlager	2,38% Volksmusik/Weltmusik

Übertragungen auf Ö1

33x aus dem Musikverein	22x aus dem Konzerthaus	21x aus der Schubertiade
17x von "InnTöne"	14x von "Musikprotokoll"	13x aus dem RadioKulturhaus

Most played music acts on FM4

Top 10 österreichische Acts

1. Bibiza

2. UCHE YARA

3. Rahel

4. Friedberg

5. Bilderbuch

6. Mavi Phoenix

7. Leyya

8. Endless Wellness

9. Cari Cari

10. Oskar Haag

Top 10 internationale Acts

1. Jamie XX

2. Jungle

3.Caribou

4. Fontaines D.C.

5. Royel Otis

6. Lola Young

7. Charli XCX

8. Billie Eilish

9. Master Peace

10. Artemas

Literature

Ö1-Sendungen über Literatur

"Ex Libris" - Ö1 Literatur-Magazin Sonntag von 16:00-16:55

"Kontext" Freitag von 09:05-10:00

"Literatur ist der Rede wert - Die literarische Soiree" 10x im Jahr

Ö1 Radiogeschichten Montag-Freitag 11:05-11:20

"Lyrik Heute" Mittwoch 23:05-00:00

"Du Holde Kunst" Sonntag 08:15-09:00

Ö1 Buch des Monats monatlich

"Bücherbox" - Ö1 Diagonal und Ö1 Radiokolleg unregelmäßig

#kultur