Ruth Hieronymi: A pioneer of the WDR and the media landscape

Ruth Hieronymi, the long-time chairman of the WDR round, died in Bonn at the age of 77. Her leadership of the supervisory committee extended over seven years until she left in 2016. Before her work at the WDR, Hieronymi was active as a member of the CDU in the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament from 1985 to 1999 and temporarily served as vice-faction leader. Then she continued her political career as a member of the European Parliament, where she worked for a decade.

The WDR director Katrin Viernau emphasized that Hieronymi strengthened the role of the round funcate and made his work more transparent. Under her leadership, the committees' meetings were accessible to the public, which contributed to the formation of trust. Rolf Zurbrüggen, the chairman of the WDR-Rundfunkrat, praised her as a "passionate and tireless fighter for public service broadcasting in Germany" and emphasized the loss that the WDR suffered with her death.

During her term, the choice of Tom Buhrow also fell as the director, a turning point in the history of the WDR. Hieronymi played a crucial role in the accompaniment of extensive program reforms and the amendment of the WDR law, which were of great importance for the further development of the radio. Your work is estimated in the media landscape and beyond and leaves a lasting impression.

The merits of Ruth Hieronymi are versatile and extend far beyond their official functions. Their commitment to the freedom of media and promoting public service broadcasters in Germany will continue to be considered pioneering. With its death, the round -funcling landscape loses a central figure that has campaigned for a quality and independent broadcasting throughout their life.