Norddeutscher Rundfunk
NDR is the public broadcaster in the northern German broadcasting area and covers the federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Lower Saxony. It was founded in 1956 when NWDR was split into WDR and NDR. NDR is the third largest of the nine state broadcasting organisations and is responsible for the ARD-aktuell department, which is responsible for a large proportion of ARD content such as Tagesschau and tagesschau.de.
The management of NDR consists of the director general and nine directors. According to the NDR State Treaty, the director general heads NDR and "consults with the deputy director and the directors on important matters". NDR also has two central committees:
The NDR Broadcasting Council consists of 58 members, 11 of whom are delegated by the parties in the state parliaments. The remaining 47 members are delegated by various social, religious and cultural groups, such as trade unions, sports associations, the Child Protection Association, environmental organisations and employers' associations. The aim is to achieve a broad representation of society. The exact composition is set out in the NDR State Treaty. The main task of the Broadcasting Council is to monitor the programme mandate. In addition, the Broadcasting Council elects the director general, whom it also advises on programme matters.
As NDR covers several federal states in its broadcasting area, it also has four state broadcasting councils, whose members are identical to those of the Broadcasting Council. The members of the Broadcasting Council from the respective federal states form the corresponding State Broadcasting Council.
The NDR Administrative Board consists of 12 members elected by the Broadcasting Council. Six members must come from Lower Saxony, two each from Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein. The Administrative Board oversees management, but not the content, as this is the responsibility of the Broadcasting Council.
Business Form
public
Legal Form
Institution under public law (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts)
Individual Owner
Other Radio Outlets
NDR 1 Niedersachsen (1.9%);
NDR1 Welle Nord (0.6%);
NDR 1 Radio MV (0.6%);
NDR 90.3 (0.5%);
NDR kultur (0.3%);
NDR Info (0.9%);
NDR Info spezial (MD);
NDR Blue (MD);
NDR Schlager (0.2%);
N-Joy (1.3%)
Other Online Outlets
www.ndr.de (0.84%);
www.eurovision.de (0.04%); www.n-joy.de (MD)
Media Business
Film and media promotion
Nordmedia Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH (20.05%)
Broadcasting rights sports
SportA Sportrechte- und Marketing-Agentur (5.56%)
Advertising and marketing
NDR Media GmbH (100%)
Event
Deutscher Radiopreis GmbH (50%)
Advertising
ndrb sales & services GmbH (50%)
ARD MEDIA GmbH (11.11%)
Film rights and marketing
Degeto GmbH (11.11%)
Market research
AGF Videoforschung GmbH (1.76%)
Production
Studio Hamburg GmbH (100%)
Letterbox Filmproduktion GmbH (100%)
Nord Film GmbH (100%)
Real Film Berlin GmbH (51%)
Friday Film GmbH (38.25%)
Doclights GmbH (51%)
Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion GmbH (12.8%)
Amalia Film GmbH (75%)
Riverside Entertainment GmbH (51%)
307 production GmbH (100%)
AlwaysOn Production GmbH (50%)
ECO MEDIA TV-Produktion GmbH (50%)
Polyphon Film- und Fernsehgesellschaft mbH (90%)
Polyphon Pictures GmbH (90%)
Klingsor Tele-, Musik- und Filmgesellschaft mbH (90%)
Dokfilm Fernsehproduktion GmbH (45%)
Studio Hamburg Serienwerft GmbH (8100%)
Studio Berlin GmbH (100%)
Sabelli Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH (100%)
Holding
Studio Hamburg Produktion Gruppe GmbH (100%)
Distribution
OneGate Media GmbH (100%)
IT and technology
Studio Hamburg MCI GmbH (100%)
Film dubbing
Studio Hamburg Synchron GmbH (100%)
Postproduction
Studio Hamburg Postproduction GmbH (100%)
Set design and equipment
Studio Hamburg Design Works GmbH (100%)
NDR canteen
Studioküche Catering GmbH (100%)
Business
Broadcaster
ARTE (via Arte Deutschland GmbH) (Missing data)
Production
Studio Hamburg UK Limited (100%)
Cleaner 2 SHUK Limited (100%)
General Information
Founding Year
1956
Affiliated Interests Founder
was commissioned by the British occupying power in 1945 to set up press, radio and information services in the British occupation zone. Modelled on the BBC, Northwest German Broadcasting (NWDR) was created, from which NDR and WDR emerged in 1956.
was a British journalist. From 1940, he was editor-in-chief of the BBC's German-language programme. In 1946, he took over the management of NWDR as an organiser, which was transformed into a public institution under his guidance in 1948. His aim was to establish a public broadcaster that would be independent of state or party political influence. From 1960 to 1969, Greene was Director General of the BBC.
Employees
3,284 permanent employees; 369 employees for ARD organisations; 1,124 freelancers
Contact
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
Rothenbaumchaussee 132
20149 Hamburg
Tel. 00 49 (40) 4156 - 0
E-Mail: ndr@ndr.de
Webseite: www.ndr.de
Tax/ ID Number
DE 1185 09 776
Financial Information
Revenue (Financial Data/ Optional)
€ 1.166 Billion / USD 1.224 Billion (2022)
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
€ 67.667 Million / USD 71.05 Million (2022)
Advertising (in % of total funding)
3%: € 36 Million / USD 37.8 Million (2022)
Management
Executive Board
Knuth has been the director general of NDR since January 2020. He began his career as an editor in 1985 and became NDR's programme director for radio in 2008. Before taking office, Knuth had already been deputy director general since 2019. From 2012 to 2019, he was Managing Director of NDR Media GmbH. He is also a member of the supervisory board of several NDR subsidiaries such as Studio Hamburg GmbH.
Lütke has held the position of Deputy Director General since 2020. She has been Director of the Lower Saxony Broadcasting Centre since 2019. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Fernsehlotterie and Nordmedia Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen.
Marx has been NDR Programme Director since 2020, initially for the Radio Division and since 2022 following its merger with the Television Directorate as Programme Director for Division I. In March 2024, Marx announced that she will end her career at the end of the year.
Beckmann has been Programme Director for Division II since 2022. From 2008 until its merger with the Radio Directorate in 2022, he headed the Television Programme Directorate.
Molina has been responsible for the Production Directorate since 2018. He had previously been Head of the Information, Media and Broadcasting Technology Department since 2015. Molina is a member of the Supervisory Board of NDR media GmbH and Studio Hamburg GmbH.
Ulrike Deike has been Administrative Director of NDR since 2020. Prior to this, she was Managing Director of AGA Norddeutscher Unternehmerverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistung e.V. from 2012 to 2019. As a representative for NDR, Deike is a member of the supervisory boards of various subsidiaries such as NDR Media GmbH and Studio Hamburg GmbH.
Kühn has been Head of the Legal Department at NDR since 2015. He had already worked there from 2009 to 2014 as a principal consultant. As an NDR representative, Kühn is also a member of the supervisory board of nordmedia - Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen.
Thormählen is the Director of the Schleswig-Holstein State Broadcasting Centre. He was initially head of the radio programme department at the state broadcasting centre and has held the position of director since 2012.
Böskens has been Director of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Broadcasting Centre since 2019. He had already been working there as Editor-in-Chief of Radio, Television and Online and Deputy Director of the broadcasting centre since 2012. Böskens is also President of the Rotary Club Schwerin.
Lünenborg has been the Director of the Hamburg State Broadcasting Centre since July 2023. Between 2016 and 2020, he was already its deputy director and programme director of the radio station NDR 90.3. From 2020 until he took office as director, Lüneborg was head of the NDR directorate.
Non-Executive Board
The NDR Broadcasting Council consists of 58 members. Listed here are the chairperson, their deputy, the chairpersons of the committees and their deputies.
Knecht has been the Chairman of the NDR Broadcasting Council since 2023 and is also a member of the State Broadcasting Council for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. He was delegated to the Broadcasting Council by the dbb (beamtenbund und tarifunion mecklenburg-vorpommern), of which he is currently the state chairman.
Fickinger is 1st Deputy Chairman of the Broadcasting Council and also a member of the Schleswig-Holstein State Broadcasting Council. He was delegated by the Federation of Business Associations in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, for whose counterpart in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania he works as Managing Director. Since 2014, Mr Fickinger has also been Managing Director of the industry association Nordmetall e.V. and the General Association of Business in Northern Germany e.V. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Nordakademie Hochschule für Wirtschaft as Deputy Chairman.
Höltkemeier is a member of the Broadcasting Council as a representative of the trade associations in Lower Saxony. She is 2nd Deputy Chairwoman of the Broadcasting Council and also a member of the Lower Saxony State Broadcasting Council. Höltkemeier is Managing Director of the State Association of the Construction Industry and was previously a member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Rentenversicherung Braunschweig-Hannover and a member of the Supervisory Board of Signal Iduna Versicherung.
Goldschmidt was delegated to the Broadcasting Council by the DGB North District, of which she is the 3rd Deputy Chairwoman. She is also a member of the Hamburg State Broadcasting Council. Goldschmidt is the regional head of the ver.di trade union in Hamburg and a member of the supervisory board of Hamburger Sparkasse. She is also a member of Bündnis90/Die Grünen.
Kruse has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the State Broadcasting Council of Lower Saxony and Chairman of the Programme Committee since 2017. He was delegated by the Lower Saxony Seniors' Council. Kruse is also Deputy Chairman of the Federal Association of Senior Citizens' Organisations (BAGSO)
Hubert has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the Hamburg State Broadcasting Council since 2022. She is also deputy chair of the programme committee. Hubert was delegated by the Hamburg state association of the Bündnis90/Die Grünen party, for which she held a seat in the Hamburg Parliament between 1986 and 1991. Hubert currently no longer holds a political mandate, but is active on the board of the Themis Confidence Centre against Sexual Harassment and Violence.
Kutzner has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the State Broadcasting Council since 2022. He is Deputy Chairman of the Programme Committee and was delegated to the Broadcasting Council by Landesjugendring Niedersachsen e. V. Kutzner has been an education officer at the Lower Saxony Youth Fire Brigade e. V. since 2018.
Roolf is Chairman of the Committee for Finance, Economics and Information Technologies. He has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the State Broadcasting Council of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 2017 and was delegated by the Federation of Business Associations MV. Roolf was a member of the FDP from 1993 to 2017 and a member of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament from 2006 to 2011.
Bellstedt has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the Schleswig-Holstein State Broadcasting Council since 2022. He is currently Chairman of the latter and is also Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Finance, Economics and Information Technologies. Bellstedt was delegated by the AWO Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein. He is also a member of the SPD and a district councillor in the district of Plön (Schleswig-Holstein).
von Holtz has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the State Broadcasting Council of Lower Saxony since 2022. He is Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Finance, Economics and Information Technologies. He was delegated by the Lower Saxony state association Bündnis90/Die Grünen, for which he held a seat in the Lower Saxony state parliament from 2013 to 2017. From 2017 to 2021, he was a member of the 19th German Bundestag. In 2024, he was re-elected to the Bundestag to replace Green politician Jürgen Trittin.
Schroeder has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the Hamburg State Broadcasting Council since 2017. She is the Chairwoman of the Legal and Submissions Committee. Schroeder was delegated by the Hamburg Visual Arts Working Group and is responsible for the artistic direction and management of the Kunsthaus Hamburg.
Engstler has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the State Broadcasting Council of Lower Saxony since 2022. He is Deputy Chairman of the Legal and Submissions Committee. Engstler was delegated to the Broadcasting Council by the Lower Saxony State Association of German Writers in ver.di, of which he is Chairman. He works as a philosopher and university lecturer.
Swinke has been a member of the Broadcasting Council and the Lower Saxony State Broadcasting Council since 2017. He was delegated by the Lower Saxony state association of the SoVD, of which he is Chairman of the Board, and is currently Deputy Chairman of the Legal and Submissions Committee. Swinke is also a board member of the German Society for Association Management.
Supervisory Board
The Administrative Board consists of 12 members:
Ahting is the Chairman of the NDR Administrative Board. He was head of the ver.di association in Lower Saxony and Bremen until 2023. Ahting is an SPD member and Chairman of the Lower Saxony Medical Service.
Schneider is Deputy Chairwoman of the Administrative Board. She is a full-time lawyer and has been a member of the Board since 2018.
Alff has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. He is a full-time lawyer and also Chairman of the SPD district association in Schwerin.
Brunotte has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. He is Chairman of the Board of the AWO district association in Hanover. As such, he is also part of the supervisory boards of AWO Soziale Arbeit GmbHand AWO Niedersachsen gGmbH. From 2008 to 2017, he was a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament (SPD).
Damerau has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. She was previously a member of the Broadcasting Council from 2014 to 2022. Damerau is a member of the SPD and was part of the state executive of the SPD Hamburg from 2002 to 2021, as well as its deputy chairwoman from 2008. She has been a member of the supervisory board of Diakonisches Werk Hamburg as deputy chairwoman since 2022.
Heister-Neumann has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2018. She is a member of the CDU and was a member of the CDU Federal Executive Committee from 2014 to 2022. She was also Lower Saxony's Minister of Justice from 2005 to 2008, Lower Saxony's Minister of Culture from 2008 to 2010 and a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament from 2009-2013.
Helmhold has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. She was previously a member of the NDR Broadcasting Council (2013-2022). From 2003 to 2013, Helmhold was a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament for the Bündnis90/Die Grünen party.
Hülskamp has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. He is an independent management consultant and Chairman of the Board of Futuro Sozial Brasil e.V.
Hüppe has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. He is Deputy Managing Director of Unternehmerverbände Niedersachsen e.V. (UVN) and Managing Director of Institut der Norddeutschen Wirtschaft e.V., and will take over as Managing Director of UVN from August 2024.
Kuder has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. She is a CDU member and was deputy state chairwoman of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from 2007 to 2017. From 2006 to 2016, Kuder was Minister of Justice for the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and since 2018 she has been the state chairwoman of Weißer Ring Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Saitner has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. He has been a full-time board member of PARITÄTISCHE Schleswig-Holstein since 2018 and a board member of the PARITÄT Foundation since 2020.
Sander has been a member of the Administrative Board since 2023. She is a lecturer at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. She was already a member of the NDR Broadcasting Council from 2012 to 2022.
Further Information
Meta Data
The business figures relate to the year 2022 and are taken from the company's own annual report.
The percentage of the total audience for radio stations is taken from the agma-Ergebung Audio I/2024 and refers to the nationwide daily reach in the population aged 14 and over.
The percentage of the total audience for television stations is taken from the AGF Videoforschung in cooperation with the GfK 2023, accessed via Meedia.de and refers to the average annual share of the total audience.
The audience share in the online sector refers to the share of unique users, was collected by Nielsen and accessed via KEK. The date of the survey is unknown.
Note on the level of transparency:
Since a classification of the level of transparency with regard to ownership structures is not possible for public media, the evaluation included the availability of information on the supervisory and control bodies as well as information on their members and the transparency with regard to corporate investments.
