ORF (broadcaster)
Austrian national public broadcaster
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Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF [oːɛʁˈɛf] ⓘ; German pronunciation: [ˌøːstəʁaɪçɪʃɐ ˈʁʊntfʊŋk], lit. Austrian Broadcasting) is Austria's national public broadcaster. It is organised as a foundation under public law and is Austria's largest media organisation.[1][2] ORF operates four national television channels, twelve radio channels, the news portal ORF.at, the streaming platform ORF ON, and the children's service ORF KiDS.[3][4]
| |
 ORF-Zentrum Küniglberg (headquarters), designed by Roland Rainer and constructed from 1968 to 1975 | |
| Type | Public service television and radio |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | Austria; ORF 2 Europe via satellite across Europe |
| Headquarters | ORF-Zentrum, Hugo-Portisch-Gasse 1, 1136 Vienna, Austria |
| Owner | Foundation under public law |
Key people | Ingrid Thurnher (interim Director General, since 12 March 2026) |
Launch date | 1 August 1955 (television) radio predecessor founded in 1924 |
Former names | Radio Verkehrs AG (RAVAG) |
Official website | www der |
ORF is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).[5]
History
The roots of Austrian broadcasting go back to the early 1920s. Before the establishment of regular licensed broadcasting, the private and initially unlicensed station Radio Hekaphon carried out transmissions in Vienna in 1923 and is regarded as an important precursor to Austrian radio.[6]
The predecessor of ORF, the Radio-Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft (RAVAG), began regular radio broadcasting in Vienna on 1 October 1924. The founding of RAVAG is generally regarded as the beginning of professional or public broadcasting in Austria.[7][8][9]
After the Anschluss in 1938, RAVAG was dissolved and incorporated into the broadcasting system of Nazi Germany as Reichssender Wien.[10][11]
After the end of the Second World War, broadcasting resumed under Allied occupation. In the occupation period, broadcasting developed in a fragmented way under the four Allied zones; one of the best-known postwar stations was Rot-Weiß-Rot, which operated between 1945 and 1955.[12]
Television broadcasting in Austria began on 1 August 1955 with an experimental service. Regular television service followed on 1 January 1957, initially with a single channel.[13] The direct institutional predecessor of the modern ORF, the Österreichische Rundfunk Ges. m. b. H., was established in December 1957.[14][15]
A major turning point in the broadcaster's history came with the 1964 Rundfunkvolksbegehren, the first popular initiative of the Second Austrian Republic, which called for broadcasting to be freed from party-political influence.[16][17] The resulting broadcasting reform led in 1967 to the creation of the radio services Ö1, Ö2, and Ö3.[18]
In 1974, ORF was transformed into a public-law broadcaster. According to the European Court of Human Rights, the 1974 Broadcasting Act established ORF as a public-law corporation operating on a non-profit basis and entrusted with a public-service mandate.[19][20]
Organisation
ORF is a non-profit foundation under public law. Its governing bodies are the Director General, the Stiftungsrat (Foundation Council), and the Publikumsrat (Audience Council).[21][22]
On 12 March 2026, after the resignation of Director General Roland Weißmann, the ORF Foundation Council appointed ORF radio director Ingrid Thurnher to the provisional management of the broadcaster pending a new selection process.[23][24]
Radio
ORF operates three nationwide radio channels—Ö1, Ö3 and FM4—as well as nine regional radio services produced by its regional studios.[25]
The nine regional services are:
- Radio Burgenland
- Radio Kärnten
- Radio Niederösterreich
- Radio Oberösterreich
- Radio Salzburg
- Radio Steiermark
- Radio Tirol
- Radio Vorarlberg
- Radio Wien
ORF's audio content is also available online, including via ORF Sound.[26]
Television and streaming
ORF operates four national television channels:
In addition, ORF provides the satellite service ORF 2 Europe, which makes much of the ORF 2 schedule available unencrypted across Europe.[28]
ORF is also a partner in the cultural channel 3sat together with Germany's ARD, ZDF and Switzerland's SRF.[29]
On 1 January 2024, ORF launched ORF KIDS as a children's streaming service.[30] On 22 May 2024, ORF ON replaced ORF TVthek as ORF's central video platform.[31][32] Since 1 April 2026, ORF KiDS programming has also been carried linearly on ORF 1.[33]
Regional studios
ORF has one regional studio in each of Austria's nine federal states. These studios produce regional radio programmes and regional television news for the local opt-outs of ORF 2.[34]
Funding
Since 1 January 2024, ORF has been financed primarily through the ORF-Beitrag, a compulsory contribution charged per household address and, in many cases, business address, rather than through the previous device-based GIS licence-fee system.[35][36][37]
The base ORF contribution is €15.30 per month. In some Austrian states, additional state charges apply. The contribution is collected by ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH (OBS).[38][39]
ORF also carries advertising and receives other commercial income, within limits laid down by Austrian broadcasting law.[40]
Logos
ORF's first corporate logo, known as the ORF eye, was introduced in 1968 and designed by the Austrian illustrator Erich Sokol. In 1992, ORF adopted its current logo, designed by the British graphic designer Neville Brody.[41]
ORF eye logo (1968–1992; sporadic use thereafter)
On-screen wordmark (1968–2000)
ORF bricks logo (1992–present)
