SRF Director Nathalie Wappler elected to the German Media Council
SRF Director Nathalie Wappler will become a member of the new Central Media Council for Public Broadcasting in Germany. The six-member supervisory body will oversee ARD, ZDF, and Deutschlandradio across all platforms. Wappler will begin her part-time term after she leaves SRF in the spring of 2026.
On January 19, 2026, the ARD Board of Representatives (GVK) elected Nathalie Wappler as the only Swiss member of the German Media Council, which is made up of six members. The election of the SRF Director was made by the ARD Board Representatives Conference. The six-member supervisory body takes a system-wide view of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio, analyzes the fulfillment of their mandates and formulates impulses for their further development.
"I am delighted about the trust that has been placed in me with this appointment. I have dedicated my entire professional career to the public media service. Accordingly, I will do my utmost to strengthen and further develop public service media - out of conviction and inner commitment, because they are central to democracy and society. I am very happy to contribute my perspectives and many years of practical experience as a media manager in Switzerland and Germany to the Media Council," explains Nathalie Wappler.
Recognition for Swiss public service
SRG Director General Susanne Wille emphasizes: "The election of Nathalie Wappler to this central supervisory body in Germany is an honour for the Swiss public service and underlines the high reputation we enjoy with our northern neighbors. And it confirms the great experience and foresight for which Nathalie Wappler is recognized far beyond SRF. Congratulations."
Klaus Sondergeld, Chairman of the GVK, says: "With Nathalie Wappler, the committee representatives of the state broadcasters have been able to gain a proven and proven expert from the practice of public service broadcasting - in Germany as well as in Switzerland - for the Media Council. She will not only contribute her experience from within the media business, but also her view from the outside, from a neighboring country, to its work."
New control level for public service broadcasting
The Media Council is an independent body of experts based in Weimar. The German federal states created the Media Council with the Reform State Treaty that came into force at the end of 2025. One of its tasks is to regularly review how ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio are fulfilling their legal mandate - in other words, how well public service broadcasting is fulfilling its information, education, culture and entertainment mandate.
The Media Council submits a commissioned report every two years. This is based on current scientific standards and criteria laid down in the Interstate Media Treaty. The report is submitted to the directors and the responsible radio, television and broadcasting councils and then published.
The Media Council represents a new level of control in Germany and is intended to strengthen the media landscape of public broadcasting as a whole by working independently of the existing control bodies. If the six-member body identifies deficits, the supervisory bodies of the individual broadcasters are required to deal with the assessments and recommendations of the Media Council. The Media Council examines, for example, the accessibility of the offerings, their use by the target groups, the effect on opinion-forming, the balance in reporting, the diversity of topics and the innovative capacity of the offerings.
Nathalie Wappler will start the part-time mandate after leaving SRF in spring 2026.
