»The Minister Presidents are sending a clear signal by choosing Weimar as a centre for science and Thuringia as a location for media. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is the perfect place for the Media Council, which was recently established through the ›Reformstaatsvertrag zum öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunk‹ (Reform State Treaty on Public Service Broadcasting). This is a good day for Thuringia and a strong symbol of momentum in Thuringian media policy«, says Minister President Mario Voigt, speaking during the Minister President Conference on 4 December 2025 in Berlin.

The Media Council is introduced in § 26b of the Reform Treaty as a new supervisory body for public service broadcasting. In its commissioned report, the six-member committee of independent experts will regularly evaluate the fulfilment of the mandate by ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio. They will also focus on the further development and improvement of public service broadcasting. This external perspective of the entire public service broadcasting system cannot and should not be provided by the individual supervisory bodies, which primarily review the fulfilment of the mandate by their respective institutions. The associated states made a clear decision to be located at a university with a renowned media faculty.

»The establishment of the Media Council in Weimar, the relocation of Televisionale from Baden-Baden to Weimar, and the strong presence of ARD Kultur in Weimar and KiKA in Erfurt clearly show that Thuringia is becoming more and more important as a German media location. These developments make it clear that our state is seen as a creative, reliable, and future-oriented location for media and culture – and that Thuringia is gaining more and more attention in the German media landscape«, Voigt continued.

Minister of Media Stefan Gruhner: »Establishing the Council’s headquarters in Weimar reflects a strong appreciation for Thuringia as a centre for science and media. An eastern Germany in particular can provide important momentum for the further development of public broadcasting and help to strengthen its acceptance throughout society.«

»I wish to express my sincere thanks to the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, which quickly and efficiently expressed their willingness to cooperate«, said Minister of Media Stefan Gruhner.

The President of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Prof. Peter Benz, is delighted about the decision to locate the Media Council’s headquarters in the Weimar Medienvilla: »When we received the request from the Thüringer Staatskanzlei (Thuringian State Chancellery), we didn't hesitate. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and its Faculty of Media represent outstanding academic research and teaching, but also hold a strong position when it comes to societal communication. That the newly established Media Council will now have its headquarters here highlights the high quality of our expertise in the field of media and will further benefit our location.«

Media Council Members

The governing heads of the federal states have appointed the following experts to the Media Council:

• Prof. Dr. Anne Bartsch, University Leipzig
• Prof. Dr. Boris Alexander Kühnle, Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart

Two further experts will be elected by the Gremienvertreterkonferenz der ARD (GVK), as well as one expert each from the Fernsehrat des ZDF and the Hörfunkrat des Deutschlandradios.