She had a good time – at the expense of the payers. Now Patricia Schlesinger (61) has shed her two jobs in public broadcasting in Germany. At first she resigned as President of the ARD, and shortly thereafter as Director of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB).
Schlesinger has been the Director of RBB since 2016. Previously, she headed the Culture and Documentation Program at NDR. Schlesinger was to retain the chairmanship of the ARD until the end of 2023.
The pressure on her was too great after it became known that she had financed an expensive lifestyle with fee money. Among other things, her office was renovated. The old carpet was removed and new parquet floors were laid. Cost point: the equivalent of approximately 16,500 francs. In addition to new furniture of about 60,000 francs such as «picture“mentioned.
profitable jobs for husband
More than 640,000 francs are said to have been budgeted for conversion alone. In addition, Schlesinger is said to have not properly billed dinner in her private apartment, which the RBB financier paid the fee, and also used her company’s car for private trips. Among other things, a four-course menu was offered to the guests. These include wild salmon, pumpkin or venison salad, and chanterelles.
In addition, RBB Chairman Dieter Wolf, 78, is said to have provided Schlesinger’s husband and former “Spiegel” journalist Gerhard Spurl, 72, lucrative advisory jobs as chairman of the supervisory board at the state-owned company Messe Berlin. It is said that these were for a total value of 136,000 Swiss francs.
The regional building office had already announced before the resignation in response to allegations that plans to construct a new building had been put on hold. In addition, Wolf must not exercise his position temporarily.
For her, withdrawing was a logical consequence
Schlesinger announced her resignation from ARD on Thursday. On Sunday, she announced that she would also give up the RBB chair. She justified her decision with her responsibility to the broadcaster and her staff.
She explained, “Currently, the station’s journalistic and media performance is no longer at the fore, it is only a matter of potential and alleged misconduct on the part of the director.” “I am very sorry about that and I apologize to the RBB staff for this development.”
She added that, for her, the withdrawal was a logical consequence of her promise to always defend the interests of the RBB first. At the same time, Schlesinger explained, “the personal accusations and defamation reached a level that made it personally impossible for me to continue in office.” “I hope that with this step I can facilitate the pending clarification of the allegations.”
“The will to enlightenment and transparency must not stand out.”
The German Journalists’ Union (DJV) has welcomed Schlesinger’s withdrawal from the leadership of RBB. “In light of the unresolved allegations of mismanagement and nepotism, which Patricia Schlesinger has not reliably refuted, it is correct and consistent that she is resigning with immediate effect,” said Frank Oberal, Chairman of the National DJV Board of Directors (51). When looking for a successor, it is important to find a manager with technical competence and absolute integrity.
The head of DJV Berlin/JVBB, Steffen Grimberg, stressed that Schlesinger’s resignation was not enough. He explained that “the will to enlightenment and transparency must not stand out.” Thorough research should be done as to whether the money from broadcasting fees has been spent incorrectly and, if so, to what extent. In addition, it is now important to “strengthen the back of our colleagues in the Asia Pacific Regional Office in order to restore lost confidence”. (Juma/AFP)
“Tv specialist. Friendly web geek. Food scholar. Extreme coffee junkie.”
More Stories
Car or public transportation? The Swiss and Americans commute to work very differently
Pedro Sanchez is considering resigning after filing a complaint against his wife
Extreme heat warning in Thailand and the Philippines