As of: March 30, 2024, 5:19 a.m
By: Cefina Gomez
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The TV station SRGT is withdrawing. He violated the media treaty and has to pay a hefty fine.
Kassel – Black-Red-Gold TV (SRGT) was broadcast on the Astra satellite for around six months. The one-man television program is scheduled to end again in April 2024. According to the
Tagesschau
, the State Office for Communications (LFK) in Baden-Württemberg punished the station with a hefty fine of 195,000 euros.
Accordingly, the former doctor and owner of SRGT, Wilfried Geissler, violated the state media contract on his station due to prohibited topic placement. As of April 1st, the station will cease operations, as Geissler confirms in a YouTube video. Six RTL TV channels have also been switched off this year.
TV station goes off the air after giving space to right-wing populist channel
According to the
Tagesschau
report , the State Communications Authority (LfK) imposed the fine on the TV station based on a decision by the Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK). The reason for the punishment was that SRGT had shared a station's program for a fee without being able to influence the content. The right-wing populist Austrian station AUF1 has been broadcast for six hours a day on the German station SRGT since September 2023.
End for black-red-gold TV: After the “one-man television program” received a hefty fine, founder Wilfried Geissler has decided not to continue the channel any longer. (Symbolic image) © Daniela Stärk/Imago
“The editorial independence of a broadcaster is a core requirement of our media system. The fact that 'Schwarz-Rot-Gold-TV (SRGT)' in the present case provides extensive broadcasting time to third parties for a fee is considered by the ZAK to be a violation of the ban on influencing programming according to the State Media Treaty," explained Wolfgang Kreißig, chairman of the ZAK to the SWR .
Controversial TV founder Wilfried Geissler defends himself against accusations on YouTube
“The LfK Baden-Württemberg won, the station lost,” announced Geissler in a YouTube video that was declared a press conference. Geissler further explained that three years before he started working withAuf1, he had already started sharing media content on YouTube that was similar to that of the Austrian broadcaster. When Geissler found a producer with the same idea as the editor-in-chief ofAuf1 Stefan Magnet, he decided to work together.
The LfK reacted to Geissler's statements. Different regulations would therefore apply to a YouTube channel. “If you have a broadcasting license and are a broadcaster, then you also have a great responsibility because you can reach many people via satellite. And that includes editorial independence,” said LfK President Wolfgang Kreißig to SWR.
Geissler apparently has little understanding of the punishment. Nevertheless, he spoke out in favor of the LFK, praising it for its objective work “without political hatred towards the right.” He announced that he wanted to pay the fine. He received support through donations collected by the partner broadcaster AUF1. A recent survey comparison showed that right-wing populists are on the rise in Europe.
(cg)