Observed Signal · Jun 25, 2026 · Hiring · Source: DWDL · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Tobias Lammert Named Chair of ARD Advertising
Tobias Lammert will become chair of ARD-Werbung and managing director (Geschäftsführer) of the WDR Mediagroup on 1 August 2026, succeeding long-time director Michael Loeb, who leaves at the end of July. The change was agreed by the managing directors of the nine regional ARD advertising companies and reported on 13 July 2026. Reinhard Hild (MDR Media) and Anja Melagge (RBB Media) were named deputy chairs of ARD-Werbung. Thomas Schelberg (SWR Media Services) remains chair of the shareholders’ assembly/ARD Media, with Anja Melagge as his deputy at ARD Media. Frank Nielebock will serve as spokesperson for WDR Mediagroup management. ARD-Werbung unites the nine regional ad companies while ARD Media handles national marketing of TV, audio and digital advertising; the changes aim to strengthen and better coordinate national ad sales.
Leadership change at a major public-broadcaster sales house (ARD-Werbung / WDR Mediagroup) may affect national advertising sales strategy and coordination across ARD's regional sales companies, but is not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Tobias Lammert will assume chair of ARD-Werbung and managing director of the WDR Mediagroup on 2026-08-01, succeeding Michael Loeb (who leaves end-July 2026).
- The appointment was agreed by the managing directors of the nine regional ARD advertising companies and reported on 2026-07-13.
- Reinhard Hild (MDR Media) and Anja Melagge (RBB Media) were appointed deputy chairs of ARD-Werbung.
- Thomas Schelberg (SWR Media Services) remains chair of the shareholders' assembly/ARD Media; Anja Melagge is his deputy at ARD Media.
- Frank Nielebock will be spokesperson for WDR Mediagroup management; ARD-Werbung unites the nine regional ad companies and ARD Media handles national TV, audio and digital advertising.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mapped“ARD Media is the joint subsidiary responsible for the national marketing of advertising offers in TV, audio and digital media....”
“The article is published by DWDL.de GmbH (© DWDL.de GmbH 2001-2026)....”
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Radio Bremen to Chair ARD; Gerner Named Chair
The ARD chair will pass from Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) to Radio Bremen at the turn of 2027, with Yvette Gerner set to become ARD chair, succeeding Florian Hager. The ARD has already distributed many chair responsibilities across multiple member broadcasters; during HR’s current term Radio Bremen is already a cooperation partner and will take the lead role in 2027 while HR moves to a supporting role. Radio Bremen is expected to hold the chair for one year, with NDR likely to assume the role in 2028 and 2029. Separately, the ARD-Generalsekretariat will be reorganized into an ARD-Geschäftsstelle effective 1 January 2027, directly attached to the incumbent chair and incorporating ARD corporate communications under a new ARD-Staatsvertrag implementation.
ARD names leadership trio for new office from 2027
ARD member broadcasters have confirmed leadership for a permanent ARD-Geschäftsstelle in Berlin that replaces the Generalsekretariat and begins work on January 1, 2027. The restructured office centralizes administrative functions, the ARD strategy process and corporate communications to provide continuity as the ARD chair rotates and to reduce repeated team rebuilds; it was established under the new ARD state treaty. Christoph Rosenthal (38), who has worked in the Generalsekretariat since 2018, will serve as overall head; Christoph Hammerschmidt (59), currently communications head for the Hessischer Rundfunk chair and formerly at n-tv, will lead communications; and Kerstin Skiba (55), RBB's legal counsel since 2023, will lead the media policy department, the contact point for federal media and regulatory bodies, civil-society organisations and the new media council. Susanne Pfab will leave her role as ARD Generalsecretary after nearly 12 years.
ARD Media's Ralf Hape: ARD Is Sexier Than You Think
Ralf Hape, managing director of ARD Media who joined from Sky Media, has driven an internal reorganisation and is pushing a bolder commercial profile as ARD Media returns to the Screenforce stage. Speaking in Düsseldorf and in a video interview, he argued ARD’s brands and combined reach—47.7 million people consuming moving-image content daily and 30.5 million using ARD offerings—are undervalued. He said ARD Mediathek and ARD Sounds remain excluded from advertising under current rules but hopes those constraints will change; regulatory decisions are beyond his remit. Hape is preparing the sales organisation for digital monetisation with simpler, convergent TV+audio booking options, some streamlining and job reductions, and openness to closer industry cooperation.
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