diff --git a/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Publisher/PayloadEditorControl.xaml b/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Publisher/PayloadEditorControl.xaml
index 74e5dee..e548248 100644
--- a/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Publisher/PayloadEditorControl.xaml
+++ b/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Publisher/PayloadEditorControl.xaml
@@ -29,11 +29,10 @@
 
         <Border Style="{StaticResource ControlBorder}" Name="EditorBorder">
             <avalonedit:TextEditor
-            xmlns:avalonedit="http://icsharpcode.net/sharpdevelop/avalonedit"
-            Name="Editor"
-            SyntaxHighlighting="{Binding SyntaxHighlighting}"
-            Style="{StaticResource Payload}"
-        />
+                xmlns:avalonedit="http://icsharpcode.net/sharpdevelop/avalonedit"
+                Name="Editor"
+                SyntaxHighlighting="{Binding SyntaxHighlighting}"
+                Style="{StaticResource Payload}" />
         </Border>
     </DockPanel>
 </UserControl>
diff --git a/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml b/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml
index 5684e93..87691f1 100644
--- a/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml
+++ b/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
              xmlns:ui="clr-namespace:PettingZoo.UI"
              xmlns:res="clr-namespace:PettingZoo.UI.Tab.Subscriber"
              xmlns:svgc="http://sharpvectors.codeplex.com/svgc/"
+             xmlns:avalonedit="http://icsharpcode.net/sharpdevelop/avalonedit"
              mc:Ignorable="d" 
              d:DesignHeight="450" 
              d:DesignWidth="800"
@@ -25,7 +26,8 @@
                      HorizontalContentAlignment="Stretch"
                      ItemsSource="{Binding Messages}" 
                      SelectedItem="{Binding Path=SelectedMessage, Mode=TwoWay}"
-                     ui:ListBox.AutoScroll="True">
+                     ui:ListBox.AutoScroll="True"
+                     x:Name="ReferenceControlForBorder">
             <ListBox.Resources>
                 <ui:BindingProxy x:Key="ContextMenuProxy" Data="{Binding}" />
             </ListBox.Resources>
@@ -95,14 +97,11 @@
             <Border Grid.Column="0" Grid.Row="1" Style="{StaticResource SidePanel}">
                 <DockPanel>
                     <Label DockPanel.Dock="Top" Style="{StaticResource HeaderLabel}" Content="{x:Static res:SubscriberViewStrings.PanelTitleBody}"/>
-
-                    <!-- TODO use AvalonEdit with syntax highlighting depending on content type -->
-                    <TextBox 
-                            Text="{Binding SelectedMessageBody, Mode=OneWay}" 
-                            BorderThickness="0"
-                            IsReadOnly="True" 
-                            HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Auto" 
-                            VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto"/>
+                    <Border Style="{StaticResource ControlBorder}" Name="EditorBorder">
+                        <avalonedit:TextEditor
+                            Name="Editor"
+                            Style="{StaticResource Payload}" />
+                    </Border>
                 </DockPanel>
             </Border>
             <GridSplitter HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" Grid.Column="0" Grid.Row="2" Height="5" ResizeDirection="Rows"/>
diff --git a/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml.cs b/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml.cs
index 6ac80c2..f07a3b3 100644
--- a/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml.cs
+++ b/PettingZoo/UI/Tab/Subscriber/SubscriberView.xaml.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System.Windows;
 using System.Windows.Controls;
 using System.Windows.Media;
+using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Highlighting;
 
 namespace PettingZoo.UI.Tab.Subscriber
 {
@@ -14,6 +15,22 @@ namespace PettingZoo.UI.Tab.Subscriber
             DataContext = viewModel;
             InitializeComponent();
 
+            // TODO wrap all this nonsense (which is a duplicate from PayloadEditorControl) in a UserControl
+            // should contain the border, one- or two-way Document binding and the automatic syntax highlighting based on a bound content-type
+            EditorBorder.BorderBrush = ReferenceControlForBorder.BorderBrush;
+            Editor.Options.IndentationSize = 2;
+
+            viewModel.PropertyChanged += (_, args) =>
+            {
+                if (args.PropertyName != nameof(viewModel.SelectedMessageBody))
+                    return;
+
+                Editor.Document.Text = viewModel.SelectedMessageBody;
+                Editor.SyntaxHighlighting = (viewModel.SelectedMessage?.Properties.ContentType ?? "") == "application/json"
+                        ? HighlightingManager.Instance.GetDefinition(@"Json")
+                        : null;
+            };
+
 
             if (!System.ComponentModel.DesignerProperties.GetIsInDesignMode(this))
                 Background = Brushes.Transparent;