Overview
- The ARD updated and posted its 2025 remuneration table on Monday, November 2, 2026, making public the base salaries and separately listed benefits for station directors and senior managers.
- SWR intendant Kai Gniffke had the highest Grundgehalt at €392,530 and a total that included benefits of €400,589, placing him at the top of the 2025 ranking.
- Most incumbents’ base pay stayed largely unchanged in 2025 while successors were generally paid less, with WDR’s Katrin Vernau earning €348,000 versus predecessor Tom Buhrow’s final-year total of €453,500—roughly a €100,000 reduction.
- The ARD table separates Grundvergütung (base salary) from Sachbezüge and Aufwandsentschädigungen (taxable benefits such as private use of a company car or BahnCard) and notes that intendanten are paid außertariflich with amounts set by each broadcaster’s supervisory board.
- The disclosure has renewed public and media scrutiny of broadcaster stewardship and reform goals, as the figures recall past pay controversies and show that some non-intendant senior roles, such as ARD program director Christine Strobl, earn more than several station heads.