Gerhard Zeiler on Austrian politics
From Renata Schmidtkunz in conversation with media manager and former ORF Director General Gerhard Zeiler · · Bruno Kreisky Forum für internationalen Dialog
“Ich war überzeugt, dass eine SPÖ geführte Regierung besser für Österreich ist. gerechter, sozial ausgewogener, aber auch leistungsbereit. Das war ja das, was mich an Kreisky so fasziniert hat, dass er diese drei Begriffe, Gerechtigkeit, Sicherheit und Leistung in einem Satz gesagt hat. Ich halte es ja nach wie vor als einen der größten Fehler, die die SPÖ gemacht hat in den letzten 15 Jahren, ist das Wort Leistung de facto abzugeben an die anderen eher konservativen Parteien.”
On , Gerhard Zeiler, President of International at Warner Bros Discovery Inc, spoke about Austrian politics during Renata Schmidtkunz in conversation with media manager and former ORF Director General Gerhard Zeiler on Bruno Kreisky Forum für internationalen Dialog.
About Gerhard Zeiler
In a February 2026 interview at the Bruno Kreisky Forum, Gerhard Zeiler discussed the state of the ORF and the role of public service broadcasting. He stated that the ORF's current situation resulted from electing two directors‑general whom he categorized as primarily interested in obtaining and keeping the position, lacking either the intellectual capacity or the will to take necessary measures. Zeiler asserted that public service broadcasting has five core mandates, with independent reporting being primary, and argued that failures in this area stem from management, not journalists. Zeiler also commented on U.S. politics, expressing confidence that American institutions are strong enough to resist what he described as attempts by the Trump administration to restrict free opinion‑forming. He reflected on his political views, stating he had believed an SPÖ‑led government would be better for Austria, citing Bruno Kreisky's combination of justice, security, and performance. Zeiler called the SPÖ's abandonment of the term "performance" to more conservative parties one of its biggest mistakes in the last 15 years.