Trade unions

Newspaper publishers are organised in the Verband Österreichischer Zeitungen (VÖZ). This association has played a key role in all media policy decisions since World War Two. It represents the collective will of a majority of newspaper publishers and is part of all formal and informal deliberations concerning press policy and press subsidies as well as radio and television legislation.

In 2003, private radio and television broadcasters united to establish the Verband Österreichischer Privatsender (VÖP). By 2016, some 25 private radio stations and 20 television stations were members. One single important issue for VÖP is the debate about the definition of the public service remit of the ORF and – in conjunction – the question of whether the ORF makes lawful use of the licence fee revenues and whether the ORF exceeds its remit by its Internet activities.