The Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia 

The Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia provides leadership and manages the Authority’s business. The Director is elected by the Media Commission for a six-year term and is responsible for the judicial and extrajudicial representation of the Authority. In addition, the Director’s duties include preparing and executing the Media Commission’s resolutions.

Since 2017 Dr. Tobias Schmid is the Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia. Furthermore, he acts as the European Commissioner of the Directors’ Conference of the Media Authorities (DLM) and a deputy member of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM). Moreover, from January 2020 to December 2021, he was the Chair of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA), the association of national media regulators within Europe.

Doris Brocker, the in-house counsel of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia, serves as his deputy in this role.

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Brautmeier was Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia from October 2010 until December 2016. He was preceded by Prof. Dr. Norbert Schneider, who acted as its Director until September 2010. Prof. Schneider succeeded Klaus Schütz, who was the first Director of the former Broadcasting Authority for North Rhine-Westphalia (from 1987 until 1993).