On Tuesday, ORF will publish the complete list of its top earners. The new ORF law forces him to do this for the first time. Employees who earn more than 170,000 euros per year must be mentioned by name. Secondary activities, i.e. income from outside the ORF, must also be mentioned.
After the list was sent to the Federal Chancellery on Easter Sunday, the numbers were leaked on Monday and the “Standard” has the entire list. There are 62 people who earn more than 170,000 euros through their employment at ORF. There are only 15 women among them: a gender pay gap that ORF boss Roland Weißmann had previously described as “particularly painful”.
The numbers now ensure transparency in the public service company for the first time: The front runner on the ORF is Ö3 presenter Robert Kratky, with an annual salary of 443,894 euros and a monthly additional income of 8,500 euros. Spicy: The alarm clock man not only earns more than ORF general director Roland Weißmann (425,500 euros, no part-time jobs), but also almost twice as much as his radio director Ingrid Thurnher (270,270 euros).
Surprisingly, in second place out of around 3,000 ORF employees is ORF construction manager and head of security Pius Strobl (425,677 euros), who, despite numerous tasks, still has time for side jobs for 2,500 euros per month. ORF boss Weißmann himself only comes in third place.
Of the group of state directors (all of whom are on the list), only Waltraud Langer (ORF Salzburg) is in the top 10 with 250,095 euros gross. Karin Bernhard (ORF Carinthia) receives 218,768 euros, Gerhard Koch (ORF Styria 212,867 euros ; plus 199.25 euros in additional income – both are in the top 30.
When it comes to television journalists, a trio of well-known names stands out: ZiB2 anchor Armin Wolf (252,780 euros plus 3,838 euros in side jobs), Peter Resetarits (210,043 euros) and ex-domestic policy boss Hans Bürger (194,981 euros). When it comes to correspondents, Christian Wehrschütz tops the list (197,489 euros), just ahead of Cornelia Vospernik (185,666 euros) and Ernst Gelegs (173,740 euros).
As previously reported, both managing directors of the special interest channel ORF3 made it into the top 10: Peter Schöber with 283,292 euros and Kathrin Zierhut-Kunz with 260,276 euros annual salary. Schöber is even the fourth best-earning employee at Küniglberg, ahead of all the directors.
Andi Knoll here in the opera ball tailcoat is the top earner in terms of additional income © Roman Zach-Kiesling
Meanwhile, TV and radio presenter Andi Knoll probably has a lot of time for side business. He tops up his gross salary of 190,242 euros with an average of 9,600 euros per month. This makes him one of the front runners for part-time jobs on ORF. Such high additional earnings are not uncommon: 24 employees have additional income of more than 8,000 euros per month.
In a reaction, ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker demanded that the exorbitant salaries at ORF “must come to an end”. The ORF management should “clarify who approved these dream salaries”. FPÖ media spokesman Christian Hafenecker is calling for a “total reform of the ORF”.
ORF boss Roland Weißmann had previously sharply criticized the forced salary striptease in an internal communication: “Apart from the ORF, no other public organization in the country is obliged to do this. This fuels the envy debate and fuels public polemics.”