Austria’s Eurovision 2026 host broadcaster ORF has confirmed new leadership appointments in key TV departments, just weeks before the contest.
New leadership across key departments
ORF Program Director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz has appointed three new department heads covering major areas from music to comedy.
- Madlene Feyrer will lead the “Music and Theatre” department
- Katharina Rossek takes over “Society, Talk and Factual Entertainment” (Head of Delegation)
- Rebecca Truska will head “Cabaret and Comedy”
All three roles are central to ORF’s cultural and entertainment programming, and come at a crucial time for the broadcaster.
A strategic reshuffle ahead of Eurovision
The timing of these appointments is particularly notable, with ORF currently preparing to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 this May in Vienna. As host broadcaster, ORF is responsible for delivering one of the biggest live TV productions in the world, with the contest taking place on 12, 14 and 16 May.
The broadcaster has already been rolling out major updates, including staging concepts, sustainability plans, and production details for the shows.
Austria’s Eurovision Journey
In 1957, Austria made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest, where Bob Martin represented the landlocked nation with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?”. At the close of voting, it managed to place 10th overall. Since their debut, Austria has participated 56 times (being in the final 49 times), and – before 2025 – had won the competition on two occasions in 1966 and 2014.
In 2025, Austria selected JJ internally to represent the nation in Basel with “Wasted Love”. Austria successfully qualified for the final, and went on to win the Contest with a total of 436 points. This gave Austria its third win in the Contest, eleven years after their previous victory.
What are your thoughts about the changes? How do you think they’ll do on home soil? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
Source: ORF
Photo credit: Thomas Ledl
Samantha