The ORFThe Foundation Board is ORF's highest oversight body and consists of 35 non-instructional volunteer members. Members of the Committee are Government (9), Parliamentary Parties (6), Federal States (9), ORF-Council of Audience (6) and ORF-Central Working Committee (5) and – with a few exceptions – organized in party-political “circles of friends”. The ÖVP currently has a majority of members and is close to the turquoise it sent.
The Board of Trustees appoints every five years ORF-Director-General and after some time, on his advice, a maximum of four Directors and nine Country Directors. Board members approve financial and personnel plans and other key organizational decisions. The Board of Trustees determines the increase in ORF contribution each year and the public broadcaster's annual financial statements and program schedule.
The ORF Committees and hence the Board of Trustees should be subject to an amendment in the Act. Last year, the Constitutional Court (VfGH) ruled that the organization of the ORF Foundation Board and Board of Visitors was partly unconstitutional. The government has until March 2025 to carry out a group reform so as to eliminate violations of the requirement of freedom and pluralism, which arise primarily from excessive government influence.
