The Schlesinger Affair

 It ought to be a 1-star story with no value.  A couple of weeks ago, I told the story of the public TV director (Director of RBB public TV in Brandenburg-Berlin, and the 'head' of ARD national public TV)....Patricia Schlesinger.  She got into scandal activities and ended up resigning.

What originally drove this?  She used a public TV budget account to pay for catering services at her home, and there was talk of a building project that she may have influenced.

So yesterday, Focus went and discussed further woes.

There was a office-floor renovation project which was planned for roughly 650,000 Euro.  At the end?  It ran up to around 1.4-million Euro.  How it doubled?  There's going to be an investigation over this.  It might be legit.....it might be incompetent planning.  The problem here....as it went above 650,000....the board was supposed to meet and agree.  There's no sign they knew.

Somewhere in the middle of this 'mess'....someone then brought up the leased luxury 'company' car provided to her....with massage seats.  Then someone brought up that the husband of Schlesinger used the 'company' car for his business affairs as well.

Is she gone at this point?  No, that's another odd thing....she's on a leave of absence....being paid.  The official end-date for her (where she's not on the payroll)?  Feb 2023.  

The RBB board?  They are supposed to meet on Monday, and there's likely another change or two occurring. 

Where all this is leading to?  There are a fair number of Germans (probably in the 10-percent range) who were already fed up with the monthly TV tax.  This open discussion might affect another 10-to-20 percent that all of the public TV business needs to evolving and less cost to be involved.  

Any suggestion in 2024 of another TV tax escalation (currently at 18.36 Euro a month)?  The public response will be blunt on this....no.  

Schlesinger probably will end up in some court and have a problem explaining the cost measures.  Jail-time?  I doubt it.  There's probably some fine and some probation-period.  But here's the thing....if you look across the dozen-odd public TV networks....how many more people are going to this extent, and just billing the public TV tax for their lifestyles?  

I think there will be some hard review of the whole landscape and how they spend money.  

I also should bring this up from the AM news today.....the chairman of the board of the Berlin Messe (the exhibition show structure for Berlin) is also on the RBB board of directors.  He's announced that he's leaving the RBB board, and the Messe board.  Best guess?  He's expecting the police investigation to center on the board, and what they knowingly approved and what they knew nothing about.  This could go on for months.