Dr. Thorsten Schmiege was re-elected President by the Media Council of the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media (BLM). At the meeting on 12 December 2025 he received 38 out of 40 valid votes and thus steps down his second five-year term of office to.

Schmiege has headed the BLM, which is responsible for the supervision and promotion of private radio, TV and streaming programmes in Bavaria, since October 2021. The authority plays an important role in regulating the media landscape and sets standards for programmes, media competence and content.

Dr Schmiege was also honoured by the Media Council for Other tasks at national level confirmed: From January 2026 he will take over the Chair of the Directors' Conference of the State Media Authorities (DLM) and the Commission for Authorisation and Supervision (ZAK)which coordinates the work of the state media authorities nationwide.

With his re-election, the BLM is Continuity in media supervision and the continuation of the previous strategic work under Schmiege's leadership.