Stand: 08.09.2024, 05:00
Von: Diana Serbe
PressSplit
Due to cost-cutting measures, various talk shows are no longer broadcast on Friday evenings on the ARD regional channels. Viewers will now have to do without “Riverboat” and the “NDR Talk Show”.
Cologne – Fans of the talk formats of MDR, NDR and SWR may have recently become suspicious about program changes. There will be changes again next weekend (September 6th). What is the ARD’s plan?
No “Riverboat” and no “NDR Talk Show”: ARD has changed its broadcast schedule for 2024
Talk show fans know that the public broadcasters have a lot to offer late on Friday evenings. Different regional broadcasters present different programs with interesting guests every week. Things will be different in 2024. There was already a new change between the formats in May, when the “NDR Talkshow” suddenly dominated several channels. On September 6th, the selection will be limited again. Whether MDR, WDR, HR, SWR or Radio Bremen: instead of “Riverboat” or the “NRD Talk Show”, you will only see one and the same program at 10 p.m.: the “Kölner Treff”. The standardization will not be the last in the current year, because there is an extensive plan by the ARD behind it.
It was already announced in the spring that the public broadcasters want to save money. As part of the largest ARD structural reform ever, a total of 588 million euros are to be saved by 2028, as the ARD explains in more detail on its website. In 2024, five ARD media companies will therefore initially take over the respective talk shows. The plan, which was drawn up in 2017, also includes a number of cuts; the popular ARD series “Lindenstraße” also fell victim to the master plan and was discontinued in 2020 after 35 years. In addition, hundreds of staff positions are to be cut, locations are to be merged and cooperations expanded.
Due to numerous cuts: ARD measures cause criticism
The plans sparked criticism when they became known, particularly because cuts were being made to political formats – and this in the year of the already explosive state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. The leading public broadcasters there, MDR and RBB, have a claim to information in the sense of the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty and are intended to contribute to political education. Regardless of this, the savings plan is to continue to be implemented in 2025. For the current year, this means for talk show viewers that in addition to September 6, there will be other Fridays on which only one program will be shown on all participating channels and, for example, the “NDR Talk Show” will be cancelled, as is the case now.
This will also be the case on November 8th, when “Riverboat” with presenter Kim Fisher (55) and her new co-presenter Joachim Llambi (60) dominates the other regional channels mentioned above, and also on December 20th, when Giovanni di Lorenzo (65) fills the time slot with “3nach9”. On September 6th, guests on “Kölner Treff” with presenters Susan Link (47) and Micky Beisenherz (47) include comedians Annette Frier (50) and Ralf Schmitz (49) as well as talk show host Anne Will (58). In the talk shows, celebrities often reveal interesting details about their lives in a convivial atmosphere.
In one of the last “Riverboat” episodes, presenter Caroline Beil (57) said that she was once lured into the RTL “jungle camp” with false promises. Sources used: ard.de, mdr.de, t-online.de
