Adding to ARD's woes, the editor-in-chief for sports at regional broadcaster HR, Juergen Emig, is currently being held in custody on corruption charges.
He is accused of demanding payments from sports associations for allowing their competitions to be broadcast on TV.
The mass-circulation daily Bild accused ARD of being a moral "pigsty."
"But it doesn't stop them from wanting to raise the licence fees fast enough," it raged.
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