Kurt Bergmann (politician)

Kurt Bergmann (born May 11, 1935 in Ebersberg near Neulengbach , † January 15, 2016 in Vienna ) was an Austrian journalist and politician ( ÖVP ).

Life

Youth & training

Bergmann grew up in his parents' bakery in St. Pölten , attended the local elementary school and finished his school education with the Matura at the Jesuit college in Kalksburg (Vienna). Bergmann first studied two semesters law and after a few semesters of journalism at the University of Vienna .

1960–1968: Political engagement - ÖVP press service

In 1960 Bergmann switched to politics and worked as an editor in the ÖVP press service ; four years later he became press officer for the then Finance Minister Wolfgang Schmitz (ÖVP).

After Schmitz's appointment as President of the Austrian National Bank , Bergmann worked as a press officer for Schmitz's successor Stephan Koren .

1968–1973: ORF main department head for public relations

After eight years of work in the political arena, Bergmann switched to the newly reformed ORF in 1968 , where Gerd Bacher , who was then general manager of the ORF , appointed him the main department head for public relations ; Bergmann replaced Kurt Tozzer, who had been head of the ORF press office until then . At that time, Bacher and Bergmann had known each other for a year, because in 1967 Bacher tried to poach Bergmann from Finance Minister Schmitz in his position as press officer; However, Bergmann declined with thanks out of loyalty to his employer. It was not until Schmitz became President of the National Bank in 1968 that Kurt Bergmann decided to move to the ORF public relations department.

As the main department head for public relations at ORF, Bergmann was the producer, designer and presenter of the ORF TV customer service program “ Postfach 7000 ”. In addition, he designed contributions for the mailbox, which he mostly moderated himself. In connection with this moderator role, Bergmann was often called "Mister Postfach" in media coverage of the time.

1973–1976: ORF donation campaign "Licht ins Dunkel"

In 1973 Bergmann was appointed director of the ORF regional studio in Lower Austria .

A visit to the handicapped village of Sollenau gave Kurt Bergmann the impetus for the foundation of the humanitarian aid campaign “ Licht ins Dunkel ”, which Bergmann himself moderated on Christmas Eve 1973.

1976–1990: return to politics

In the years 1976-90 Bergmann was increasingly drawn back into the field of politics - from 1976 to 1980 he was Federal Managing Director of the ÖVP and between 1979 and 1990 was a member of the Austrian National Council . From 1980 to 1987 he also took on the role of political director of the ÖVP parliamentary club and also acted as the culture and democracy spokesman for his party. Between 1977 and 1986 Bergmann was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. From 1989 to 1992 he was the Executive Secretary General of the Austrian Economic Association .

1990–2006: return to ORF

After this political comeback, Bergmann shifted his focus back to ORF and from 1990 to 1994 he held the office of ORF General Secretary . During this time he founded the “ Neighbors in Need ” initiative together with Caritas and the Red Cross . A year later, in 1993, Bergman received a special prize from the Romy jury for this .

In 1994, Bergmann switched to the role of ORF director of the Styrian regional studio for four years ; From 1998 to 2003 he was head of the Office for Humanitarian Affairs at ORF and in this role he was responsible for the campaigns “Licht ins Dunkel” and “Neighbor in Need” initiated by him.

Since 2006

In 2006 he headed a project group on behalf of the Austrian federal government to create a concept for civil and military cooperation between Austrian forces in disasters abroad ( CIMIC ).

From 2006 to 2007 he was briefly a member of the foundation board of the ORF and acted on behalf of the finance minister as a moderator between the aid organizations and the ministry in realizing the tax deductibility of humanitarian donations .

Kurt Bergmann was married twice, had four sons and, in the year of his death, five grandchildren, two step-children, three great-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild. One son is the media manager Wolfgang Bergmann . Kurt Bergmann was a member of the Catholic student union Danubia .

Awards

• 1987: Great Gold Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria
• 2003: Silver Commander's Cross of Honor for Services to the State of Lower Austria
• 2009: Fundraiser of the year from the Fundraising Association Austria
• 2013: Freedom Award from the International Peace Center of Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Neighbors in Need.
• 2015: Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, 1st class
• Heinrich Treichl Prize of the Austrian Red Cross

Negative prices:

• 2004 " Rosa Handtaschl ", awarded by the Austrian women's network Medien

Publications

• Kurt Bergmann, Christine Kaiser: My light in the dark book , foreword by André Heller . Holzhausen, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-85493-067-4 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Kurt Bergmann in the catalog of the German National Library
• Kurt Bergmann (politician) on the website of the Austrian Parliament

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dietmar Neuwirth: "Licht ins Dunkel" initiator Kurt Bergmann has died . Die Presse , January 15, 2016, accessed on January 15, 2016
2. ↑ Ernst Bruckmüller (Ed.): '' Personenlexikon Österreich ''. Buchgemeinschaft Donauland, Vienna, 2002, p. 41.
3. ^ ^{A b c} Karl Stephan Novak: Beginnings of ORF TV public relations work from 1967-74: the PR pioneer formats: Postfach 7000. I agree . ORF transparent. Vienna, Univ., Dipl.-Arb., 2009, p. 111.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} Karl Stephan Novak: Beginnings of the ORF TV public relations work from 1967-74: the PR pioneer formats: Postfach 7000. I agree . ORF transparent. Vienna, Univ., Dipl.-Arb., 2009, p. 112.
5. ↑ Listen to: Radio and TV Illustrated for Austria No. 01/1973, p. 16.
6. ^ Novak, Karl Stephan: Beginnings of ORF TV public relations work from 1967-74: the PR pioneer formats: Postfach 7000. I agree. ORF transparent. Vienna, Univ., Dipl.-Arb., 2009, p. 112 f
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Karl Stephan Novak: Beginnings of the ORF TV public relations work from 1967-74: the PR pioneer formats: Postfach 7000. I agree . ORF transparent. Vienna, Univ., Dipl.-Arb., 2009, p. 113.
8. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
9. ↑ High Lower Austrian state award for Kurt Bergmann . Österreich Journal, December 5, 2003, accessed on January 16, 2016.
10. ↑ Kurt Bergmann is “Fundraiser of the Year” . APA article in Der Standard , October 5, 2009, accessed January 16, 2016.
11. ↑ Bosnian Peace Prize to “Neighbors in Need” founder Kurt Bergmann . ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Österreichischer Rundfunk, accessed on February 8, 2013. 
12. ↑ High distinction for Kurt Bergmann . Österreichischer Rundfunk, May 16, 2015, accessed on January 16, 2016.
13. ↑ The Red Cross awards the Heinrich Treichl Prize for the 18th time . Press release of the Austrian Red Cross, May 2, 2012, accessed on January 16, 2016.
    The Austrian Red Cross is awarding the Heinrich Treichl Prize for the 14th time . APA report, May 7, 2008, accessed January 16, 2016.
14. ^ "Handtaschl" to Wolfgang Ambros and Kurt Bergmann . In: derstandard .at of October 8, 2004, accessed on April 21, 2017.