Scandal-hit Austrian pubcaster ORF names Clemens Pig as new director-general

The board of Austrian public broadcaster ORF has chosen Dr Clemens Pig, former chief executive of the Austrian news agency APA, as its next director-general.

Clemens Pig

Pig’s five-year term will begin on January 1, 2027. Previous incumbent Roland Weißmann resigned in March after being accused of sexually harassing an employee, which he has denied and has since filed a lawsuit against ORF.

Weißmann had been in the role for just over four years and spent three decades at the Austrian pubcaster. Austrian journalist and TV host Ingrid Thurnher took over as interim chief, having previously been head of the broadcaster’s radio department.

Thurnher has been dealing with further controversy this week after suspending the organisation’s highest earner, Pius Strobl, over “possible misconduct.”

The decision on who will lead ORF from 2027 came after candidates took part in a debate that aired on ORF III and ORF ON on Monday, in which Pig said he wanted to rebuild trust in the public broadcaster.

It is the first time in decades that the broadcaster, which has a budget of around €1bn (US$1.16bn), which is set to be reduced as part of cost-cutting measures, is getting a boss picked from outside of the organisation.

Pig, who has spent the past decade at APA, was chosen over other candidates for the top job, including former ORF executive Petra Höfer, long-serving ORF journalist Sonja Sagmeister and Kathrin Zierhut-Kunz, commercial MD of ORF III.

Also in the running were Johannes Larcher, who left his role as head of HBO Max International in 2022; Markus Breitenecker, founder of Puls4 and former CEO of the ProSiebenSat.1/Puls4 Austria group; Eva Schütz, publisher of news platform Exxpress; former ServusTV editor-in-chief Robert Altenburger; and Lisa Totzauer, editor-in-chief of ORF’s magazine programmes. Seventy-five people applied for the role, according to ORF.