A new directorate has to be found. This has been known for a long time at Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). In autumn 2024, incumbent Joachim Knuth offered to clear his post in the summer of 2025. At the time, Knuth said that pioneering decisions were made by people who come-not from people who were going, and a process began for the public, which at least provides the financial basis for the work of the NDR (7.25 billion euros from the broadcasting contribution in 2024 was not very transparent. says that the “director and the deputy” is elected by the “Rundfunkrat at the proposal of the board of directors”. The election should take place “within the last six months” of the term of office of the incumbent director, “with early departure, at the latest within six months”. Harzer-Kux received 30 out of 50 votes from the board of directors, in which, in addition to the chairman Nico Fickinger, the board of directors Rüdiger Hülskamp and according to “southern German time” Justice Minister Ad von Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Uta-Maria Kuder as well as the Kiel lawyer Karola Schneider and the Lower Saxony union secretary Detlef Ahting, surprisingly, agreed with the Board of Directors-there is always only one candidate for election-the former Bertelsmann manager Sandra Harzer-Kux. However, on April 4, this missed the necessary two -thirds majority when it was elected in the round funcate. Harzer-Kux got 30 out of 50 votes, 34 would have needed it. In accordance with the NDR state contract, paragraph 29, paragraph 2: “If an election proposal does not find the necessary consent in the round fun, the board of directors is entitled to make a new election proposal within one further month.” Until May 4th, a new proposal is needed. Not only at the NDR now many are asking: What is that supposed to do and how does it go on? The editorial committee and staff councils have contacted the supervisory bodies in an explanation and are calling for more transparency. There is a great “repair requirement”. Among other things, it should be checked, according to a claim of the staff representatives as to whether the NDR state contract can only be interpreted in such a way that only one candidate can be proposed. On the question of how things will go on, he says: “From the board of directors of the board of directors, the broadcasting council has given good further development opportunities for the NDR.” The Board of Directors now want to advise “with the responsibility and thoroughness offered”, “what the further procedure can look like in the context of the existing regulations, insofar as the board of directors concerns”. As far as the schedule is concerned, “the board of directors has” reserved a save the date date “for April 28” for a possible board of directors “. What should happen at this session, you advise “Current”. As soon as there is a result, “as is common”, the agenda will be published. Regarding the claims of the staff representatives in terms of election procedures, Hülskamp says that the board of directors is “bound by law and law”. In this respect, this does not see itself as the addressee of such claims. To the request of the staff representatives to examine, to what extent the state contract can only be interpreted in such a way that only one candidate may be proposed, says the head of the administrative: Based on the NDR state contract, it must currently remain with the proposal of a person. Sandra? “, That was” the most frequently asked question of the past few days “. Her answer pushes Harzer-Kux right after: “I am fine” It was an “honor”. For the “trust placed”, she thanks both the Board of Directors and the Rundfunkrat of the NDR – although he had ultimately failed. After all: “The Board of Directors unanimously proposed me as a candidate for the NDR intendance.” That makes them “actually very proud”. She felt the selection process as “demanding, professional and appreciative”. In terms of the fact that “elected choice in public and with the employees”, in which she missed the majority by four votes, she writes: “This way it can go in elections.” Should the candidates, which are chosen from the field in the pre -selection of the finding commission? It is unlikely that Harzer-Kux tries to do it again. It is more likely that, as with the choice of Joachim Knuth, it will be out of the ranks of the NDR in 2019. The question is whether it is won for the NDR. The fact that the transparency of the process leaves the process and that the countries of Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein commissioned by the NDR should be obvious to everyone.
