Overview

• Judges in Leipzig heard a Bavarian woman’s revision against a Bayerischer Rundfunk fee notice after she lost in the Munich administrative court and the Bavarian higher administrative court.
• The proceeding does not reexamine the contribution’s constitutionality; it tests whether courts, rather than Rundfunkräte, must review compliance with the public-service mandate and could send the case back for fact-finding.
• The plaintiff relies on Media Tenor’s long-run content analyses to allege systemic bias, while BR says its programs reflect broad perspectives and that personal dissatisfaction does not justify withholding payment.
• A decision is expected within one to two weeks, potentially setting thresholds for similar challenges but leaving existing payment obligations unchanged in the meantime.
• The hearing comes as the KEF-recommended increase to €18.94 remains on hold with a constitutional ruling now expected in 2026, and new October rules broaden exemptions for BAföG recipients and other benefit claimants.