In Austria, the ORF broadcasting monopoly fell at the turn of the millennium – at a time when private radio and television stations had already been able to broadcast freely and legally for several years in almost all former communist states of Eastern Europe and in Albania. No other democratic state had prevented the liberalization of radio and television for as long as Austria. For decades, the SPÖ defended the ORF monopoly and initially prohibited private broadcasting, later hindering it when it became unavoidable due to EU accession. The reason for this was the perfect symbiosis between the Social Democrats and the ORF. SPÖ- or government-friendly reporting occurred in exchange for special rights and regulations for the ORF and its employees. To this day, the influence of the SPÖ on the reporting of public broadcasting is enormous. Austria's recent history has been and continues to be significantly shaped by social democratic media policy. "The Red Opinion Makers" is the first book to document, analyze, and critically examine Austria's unique broadcasting policy path, the history of the ORF, and SPÖ broadcasting policy from 1945 to the present.