ORF (broadcaster)

Österreichischer Rundfunk, known as ORF, is Austria's national public broadcaster. It is the country's largest media organization and is run as a foundation under public law. ORF offers many different ways for people to get news and entertainment, including four national television channels and twelve radio channels.

ORF also has an online news portal called ORF.at, a streaming service named ORF ON, and a special service for children called ORF KiDS. This makes it easy for families to find content that is just right for them.

ORF is part of the European Broadcasting Union, which helps broadcasters across Europe share ideas and support each other. Because of its many channels and services, ORF plays an important role in bringing information and programs to people all over Austria.

History

The story of broadcasting in Austria starts in the early 1920s. Before regular radio began, a private station called Radio Hekaphon sent out signals in Vienna in 1923. This is seen as an important step toward Austrian radio.

The group that became ORF, called RAVAG, started regular radio broadcasts in Vienna on October 1, 1924. This is considered the start of professional public broadcasting in Austria.

After 1938, RAVAG was closed and joined into Nazi Germany’s broadcasting system.

After the Second World War, broadcasting started again but was split among the four Allied zones. One well-known station from this time was Rot-Weiß-Rot, which ran from 1945 to 1955.

Television in Austria began with an experimental service on August 1, 1955. Regular TV started on January 1, 1957, with just one channel. The direct predecessor of today’s ORF was created in December 1957.

A big change happened in 1964 with the Rundfunkvolksbegehren, the first popular vote in Austria’s second republic. It asked for radio and TV to be free from political control. This led to a reform in 1967, creating the radio stations Ö1, Ö2, and Ö3.

In 1974, ORF became a public broadcaster. The European Court of Human Rights said the 1974 law set ORF up as a non-profit group with a public service mission.

Organisation

ORF is a non-profit group that follows rules set by the government. It has three main leaders: the Director General, the Foundation Council, and the Audience Council.

On 12 March 2026, Ingrid Thurnher, who was the radio director, took over temporarily after the Director General, Roland Weißmann, stepped down. She will lead until a new Director General is chosen.

Radio

ORF runs three national radio stations: Ö1, Ö3, and FM4. It also has nine regional radio stations made by its local studios in different parts of Austria. These regional stations are Radio Burgenland, Radio Kärnten, Radio Niederösterreich, Radio Oberösterreich, Radio Salzburg, Radio Steiermark, Radio Tirol, Radio Vorarlberg, and Radio Wien.

You can listen to ORF’s radio shows online using ORF Sound.

Television and streaming

ORF runs four main TV channels in Austria: ORF 1, ORF 2, ORF III, and ORF Sport +. They also have a satellite service called ORF 2 Europe that shares many ORF 2 shows across Europe.

ORF works with other countries on a cultural channel called 3sat, together with Germany’s ARD and ZDF, and Switzerland’s SRF. In 2024, ORF started a children’s streaming service called ORF KIDS, and later that year, they launched ORF ON as their main video website. Starting in April 2026, ORF KiDS shows are also available every day on ORF 1.

Regional studios

ORF has a special studio in each of Austria's nine states. These studios make local radio shows and television news for each area. They help bring news and stories that matter most to people living in those places.

Funding

Since January 1, 2024, ORF gets most of its money from a special fee called the ORF-Beitrag. This fee is charged to every home and many business addresses in Austria, instead of the old system that charged fees based on devices like TVs or radios.

The basic fee is €15.30 each month. Some areas in Austria may have extra charges on top of this. The fee is collected by a company called ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH (OBS). ORF also earns some money from ads and other business activities, but there are rules set by Austrian law about how much they can do this.

Logos

ORF, Austria's main broadcasting company, introduced its first logo called the "ORF eye" in 1968. An Austrian artist named Erich Sokol created this logo. In 1992, ORF changed to a new logo designed by a British graphic designer named Neville Brody, and this logo is still used today.