The State Media Authority of Baden-Württemberg has imposed a heavy fine on the mini-channel Schwarz Rot Gold TV (SRGT) for broadcasting unauthorised content from an Austrian fake TV channel in return for payment. As a consequence, the operator of the channel is giving up.
Wilfried Geissler, the owner and managing director of the small one-man niche channel SRGT, has announced in a YouTube video that the channel will soon be shut down. This is due to a fine of 195,000 euros imposed by the Baden-Württemberg State Media Authority. The reason for the fine was the provision of airtime to the Austrian broadcaster Auf1 in return for payment, which was deemed to be illegal topic placement. Geissler emphasised that he and Auf1 had sought legal advice before the collaboration and that no concerns had been raised. Geissler argued that the proceedings concerned legal matters, not content. Auf1, on the other hand, tried to present the fine as their own and collected donations to help SRGT pay the fine.
