Committee publication · Correspondence · 16 June 2026
Letter from Professor Maria Michalis, Professor of Communication Policy, University of Westminster, regarding oral evidence follow-up, 10 June 2026
From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Inquiry: BBC Royal Charter Review
Summary
Professor Maria Michalis provides supplementary written evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Germany's KEF Commission, an independent expert body that determines public service media funding levels. The evidence explains KEF's appointment structure (16 members appointed by regional states for 5-year terms), its three-stage funding assessment process, parliamentary ratification requirements, and accountability mechanisms based on transparency and expertise rather than political control.
Key findings
- KEF is a 16-member independent expert committee where each German regional state appoints one member; members serve in personal capacity, not as representatives, and must collectively possess specified expertise in auditing, business administration, broadcasting law, media economics, and public-sector auditing.
- The funding determination follows a three-stage process: PSM submit funding requests; KEF assesses them against public service remit and economic conditions; all 16 regional parliaments must ratify the recommendation, with no power to amend it.
- Regional parliaments cannot reject KEF recommendations without constitutionally permissible grounds and public justification; any rejection is subject to Federal Constitutional Court review, as illustrated by the 2024 levy increase dispute.
- KEF accountability rests on transparency (publishing 300+ page detailed reports), professional expertise, judicial oversight, and constitutional safeguards designed to insulate PSM funding from day-to-day political pressures and party interests.
- The household levy (introduced 2013) has delivered predictability and funding stability, enabling PSM to invest in digital services and younger audiences; compliance is achieved through administrative verification against population registers rather than investigative enforcement.
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Professor Maria Michalis, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Professor Justin Lewis, Professor Barbara Thomass, KEF (Commission for the Determination of the Financial Requirements of Broadcasting Corporations), German regional governments (Länder), ARD, ZDF, Deutschlandradio
Notable line
“By placing funding decisions in the hands of an independent expert 6 Beitragsservice , website”
Key Quotes
“KEF serves as an institutional buffer between politicians and PSM funding. This separation is considered a crucial safeguard for broadcasting freedom ( Rundfunkfreiheit ) …”
“In institutional terms, KEF resembles bodies such as the UK Office for Budget Responsibility more closely than a traditional media regulator.”
“More than a decade after the introduction of the household levy, Germany's experience suggests that predictability and stability of funding have been among the reform's main benefits.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗