The station bosses of NDR and ZDF earn more than 300,000 euros a year. But that’s not all. Additional income increases their salaries considerably. So much more for the bosses.
The directors of ARD and ZDF are well paid for their work. There are several hundred thousand euros for this every year. But now research by Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) shows that some bosses earn more money – for example through supervisory board positions or similar mandates.
Joachim Knuth – NDR director
Knuth is, among other things, chairman of the supervisory board of the NDR subsidiaries Studio Hamburg GmbH and NDR Media GmbH. He is also a member of the board of directors of Deutschlandradio. None of the ARD directors earns more than he does.
His earnings are not secret. They are also approved by the Board of Directors. But they are a decent source of income. However, Knuth also takes on some mandates that are not remunerated.
Norbert Himmler – ZDF-Intendant
In his capacity as ZDF director, Himmler also sits on the supervisory boards of ZDF Studios GmbH, ZDF Werbefernsehen GmbH and Bavaria Fiction GmbH. As the NDR reports, the ZDF does not provide any information about how much these items bring in exactly.
What is common practice at NDR and ZDF is currently not available at the other ARD stations. According to the NDR report, the directors of BR, HR, SR, rbb, Radio Bremen, Deutschlandradio and Deutsche Welle do not receive any additional income for such internal supervisory board positions.
Only the MDR has special allowances, which are limited to 5000 euros per year. The upper limit for rbb is 6,000 euros. However, the new director does not earn anything extra, reports the NDR. The WDR is also the upper limit of 6000 euros.
There is no upper limit for Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk (SWR). Director Kai Gniffke donates his earnings from the supervisory board at Bavaria Film GmbH to charitable purposes. A personal decision.
