Gerd Schneider appointed new ORF Salzburg director

ORF’s Foundation Council on Tuesday appointed Gerd Schneider as the new director of its Salzburg regional studio. The longtime editor-in-chief of ORF Salzburg will succeed Waltraud Langer at the beginning of January, when she retires as planned.

Langer congratulated Schneider on his appointment, citing his years of management experience and his strong knowledge of Salzburg and the regional studio. She said she would support a smooth handover.

Salzburg Governor Karoline Edtstadler also welcomed the decision, which followed an extensive selection process. She said Schneider stood for local information and objective reporting, and that his appointment would ensure continuity at the public broadcaster in Salzburg.

Schneider’s move to the top position will trigger a new search for the editor-in-chief of ORF Salzburg. The new appointment is due to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Career spanning all newsroom roles

Born in Steyr in 1964 and raised in the city of Salzburg, Schneider began working as an intern at the ORF regional studio in 1991. He went on to hold every major journalistic role there, including radio editor, news presenter and duty editor.

He became editor-in-chief of the ORF regional studio in April 2012 and has since been responsible for all of ORF Salzburg’s news coverage on television, radio and online.

Schneider also worked as a television reporter and spent 15 years as duty editor. ORF highlighted his live radio and television reports on events including the 1999 fire disaster in the Tauern Tunnel, the 2010 Salzburg Easter Festival scandal and the 2012 state finance scandal.

“Journalism is not a job for me, but a vocation,” Schneider said. As editor-in-chief, he said, his task had been to ensure fact-based, critical and objective journalism, and he intended to continue that work as director.

According to Schneider, ORF Salzburg reaches around 450,000 people in Salzburg every day across television, radio and online services.