Florian Hager's bold moves redefine leadership in public broadcasting

From launching a youth platform to leading ARD, Hager's decisions left a lasting mark. His rare missteps offer lessons in media leadership and resilience.

, and Administrator

2026 April 29 . 6:09 AM

1 min read

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Florian Hager, what was your best—and your worst—decision over the past ten years?

Florian Hager's bold moves redefine leadership in public broadcasting

"My best decision was certainly refusing to back down in the face of resistance, big or small—and making things happen that initially seemed impossible: launching a digital youth platform within public broadcasting, taking on the chairmanship of ARD as a smaller regional broadcaster, or becoming director-general of Hessischer Rundfunk as a Swabian.

My worst decision was probably assuming that in ten years, you only make one bad decision."

Florian Hager, Chairman of ARD and Director-General of Hessischer Rundfunk