ARD: Why Do Public Broadcasters Exist?

ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, the Association of Public Broadcasters in Germany) is a broadcasting consortium made up of nine regional broadcasters and one global channel(ARD, 2024). In everyday life in Germany, we often encounter ARD’s flagship news program “Tagesschau” on social media or U-Bahn displays and “the 8 p.m. edition alone is watched by 9.45 million people every day”(ARD, 2024).

When discussing ‘public’ broadcasting in Germany, ZDF is always mentioned alongside ARD. Unlike ARD, which operates multiple channels as a union of regional broadcasters, ZDF is a public broadcaster that operates a single channel and functions more as an independent broadcaster rather than a consortium. ARD’s structure allows it to focus more on local issues within the German broadcasting ecosystem, while ZDF can take a more centralized approach to news coverage. This diversity enables German public broadcasting to represent a broader range of voices. Just as there are many local newspapers, the importance of local issues in German broadcasting demonstrates that German media ecosystem is not overly centralized.

Criticism of ARD mainly centers around the broadcasting fee(Rundfunkbeitrag). ARD, along with ZDF and Deutschlandradio, is funded by this fee, which requires each household to pay €18.36 per month. The most controversial aspect is that this amount must be paid regardless of whether one watches public broadcasting programs or even owns a television(dpa, 2025). The obligation to pay a considerable sum every month, regardless of usage, has led to negative public sentiment. According to Insa poll, in 2023, 38% of respondents stated they did not want to pay the broadcasting fee, and many felt the current fee was already too high. Although 78% opposed the planned increase in the broadcasting fee in 2025, ARD announced plans to raise the monthly fee to as much as €25 between 2025 and 2028 to compete with major streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime(Dittrich, 2023).

Because advertising time is limited for public broadcasters, the broadcasting fee inevitably becomes their main source of funding. Furthermore, Andree(2025) found that in the search engine market, Google holds a market share of 88%, Meta dominates social media with 85%, and YouTube accounts for 78% of the video market. In other words, traditional media such as public broadcasters are gradually losing their place in the media ecosystem. In this context, public broadcasters must pursue technological innovation to maintain their influence and fulfill their mission. However, since decisions about the broadcasting fee directly affect household budgets, it is essential to listen to the public’s voice. Rather than focusing solely on increasing the fee, it is important to establish a reasonable system that encourages willingness to pay among citizens.

Before discussing the positive aspects of public broadcasting, we must first consider why public broadcasters exist at all. The reason why there is no public newspaper but there is public broadcasting is that broadcasting uses the limited resource of radio frequencies. Unlike the internet, radio frequencies are a scarce resource that must be managed by the state. Media permitted to use these frequencies share an obligation to serve the public interest. Tak, Jae Taek (2004) noted that ARD, in order to shed Germany’s “war criminal nation” image, made intercultural understanding a key broadcasting goal through exchanges with neighboring countries, thereby contributing to national image management and international cooperation. In this way, ARD exists not for profit but for the public good. Although the influence of public broadcasters like ARD may be diminishing, their responsibility to serve civil society and democracy remains unchanged. While the debate over the broadcasting fee is unlikely to disappear soon, it is important not to overlook that their mission remains rooted in the public interest.

Building on the exploration of ARD, it is worth reconsidering the role of Media School Bayern, which centers its curriculum on radio and broadcasting. The school’s practical media education reflects the German media landscape, in which both newspapers and broadcasters emphasize the importance of local content. Media School Bayern allows students to actually use Munich’s radio frequencies, offering hands-on experience with broadcasting and the public value that media institutions can provide. As a non-profit organization, Media School Bayern does not charge tuition fee; in fact, it not only waives costs but even supports students financially through scholarships and stipends. This approach stands in contrast to the controversies surrounding the public broadcasting fee, which finances organizations such as ARD. Of course, there is a considerable difference in scale, and it would be unrealistic to overlook the significant costs required to produce media programming at ARD’s level. Nevertheless, Media School Bayern exemplifies how, especially at the local level, journalism and broadcasting are obligated to inform the public and facilitate the education of democratic citizens—a public service responsibility it pursues in diverse ways. Media School Bayern contributes to the public interest in both direct and indirect ways: directly, by providing non-profit broadcasting education programs; and indirectly, by enabling its students to engage with local audiences through radio frequencies and online channels after their training. While ARD and ZDF also operate journalism institutes such as the ARD.ZDF Medienakademie, most of their training programs are fee-based. If a model like that of Media School Bayern were to be more widely implemented within ARD and ZDF, it could bring these public broadcasters even closer to fulfilling their core mission of serving the public interest.

References

ARD. (2024). WE ARE YOURS. ARD. https://www.ard.de/die-ard/aufgaben-der-ard/ARD-Broschuere-englisch-100.pdf
Andree, M. (2025). Digital monopolies—The extent of monopolization in Germany and the implications for media freedom and democracy. Social Sciences, 14(6), Article 303. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14060303
dpa. (2025, May 19). Befreiung vom Rundfunkbeitrag: In diesen Fällen geht’s. Süddeutsche Zeitung. https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/wg-umzug-todesfall-befreiung-vom-rundfunkbeitrag-in-diesen-faellen-geht-s-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-250519-930-564043
Dittrich, R. (2023, July 17). ARD will Rundfunkbeitrag auf bis zu 25 Euro erhöhen. Merkur.de. https://www.merkur.de/verbraucher/verbraucher-umfrage-rundfunkbeitrag-zu-hoch-erhoehung-gez-deutschland-92343747.html
HNA. (2023, July 14). Geheimplan: Rundfunkbeitrag für ARD und ZDF soll auf 25 Euro steigen. HNA. https://www.hna.de/verbraucher/gez-25-euro-steigen-geheimplan-rundfunkbeitrag-fuer-ard-zdf-soll-auf-news-92170432.html
Tak, J. T. (2004). Development strategy for the international positioning of the Korean Broadcasting System. Studies of Broadcasting Culture, 16(1), 61–81.