On June 5, 2025, the inaugural session of the newly formed ORF Audience Council took place at the ORF Media Campus in Vienna, following an invitation from the outgoing chair, Walter Marschitz. This session marks the beginning of the Council's seventh term, which will span four years and includes 28 members.

The primary agenda for the meeting included the election of the chairperson and the deputy chairperson, the appointment of nine members to the Foundation Board, and the selection of committee members. In this session, Gabriele Zgubic-Engleder was elected as the chairperson, while Petra Stolba was chosen as the deputy chairperson.

Profile of Chairperson Gabriele Zgubic-Engleder

Gabriele Zgubic-Engleder, born in 1966, pursued her law studies in Linz. In the 1990s, she served as a consumer and environmental policy advisor at the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labour, worked as an assistant to an Austrian Member of the European Parliament, and as a consumer policy advisor in the office of Women's Minister Barbara Prammer. In 1999, she transitioned to the Austrian Federal Financing Agency and has been the head of the Consumer Policy Department at the Vienna Chamber of Labour since 2010. Additionally, she presides over the Board of the Association for Consumer Information, serves as the deputy chair of the Consumer Conciliation Association, and is involved in several other consumer-related organizations and advisory groups at the European Commission.

Appointment of Foundation Board Members

The meeting resulted in the appointment of the following nine members to the Foundation Board:

• Gertrude Aubauer
• DI Rudolf Kolbe
• Andreas Kratschmar
• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Siegfried Meryn
• Herbert Rupp
• Andrea Schellner
• MMag. Bernhard Wiesinger, MBA, MPA
• Alexander Zach
• Gabriele Zgubic-Engleder

The Audience Council comprises diverse representatives including Gertrude Aubauer (representing older individuals), Josef Buranits (representing ethnic minorities), and various others from fields such as education, sports, and environmental protection.

Committee Elections

During the inaugural session, members for the following committees were also elected:

Quality and Program Committee

• Andreas Kratschmar (Chairperson)
• Siegfried Meryn (Deputy Chairperson)
• Theresia Reiner (Deputy Chairperson)
• Other members: Gertrude Aubauer, Josef Buranits, John Evers, Andreas Krauter, Mira Langhammer, Birgit Mair-Markart, Paul Poet, Christoph Riedl, Helmut Sax, Martin Schenk, Josef Siffert

Corporate and Media Policy, Finance, and Customer Relations Committee

• Willi Mernyi (Chairperson)
• Michaela Huber (Deputy Chairperson)
• Alexander Zach (Deputy Chairperson)
• Other members: Matthias Karmasin, Beatrix Karl, Andreas Kratschmar, Martin Ladstätter, Herbert Rupp, Andrea Schellner, Martin Schenk, Josef Siffert, Petra Stolba

Complaints Committee

• Bernhard Wiesinger (Chairperson)
• Rudolf Kolbe (Deputy Chairperson)
• Ingrid Podgorschek (Deputy Chairperson)
• Other members: Gertrude Aubauer, Josef Buranits, Michaela Huber, Andreas Kratschmar, Manuela Malecek, Christoph Riedl, Theresia Reiner, Herbert Rupp, Josef Siffert

Presidential Committee

• Gabriele Zgubic-Engleder (Chairperson)
• Petra Stolba (Deputy Chairperson)
• Michaela Huber, Rudolf Kolbe, Andreas Kratschmar, Willi Mernyi, Siegfried Meryn, Ingrid Podgorschek, Theresia Reiner, Bernhard Wiesinger, Alexander Zach

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