But he was a pioneer for some of the established names on ORF television: Podgorski was responsible for the introduction of regionalization and the “Federal State Today” format, as well as for the establishment of the ethnic group programs and “Heimat, Fremde Heimat”. He is also responsible for the successful “Universum” series and the expansion of programs for the public broadcaster 3sat.
Thaddäus Podgorski was born on July 19, 1935 in Vienna as the son of a noble Polish Uhlan officer who had settled in Austria after being taken prisoner by Italy. After graduating from the Admont Stiftsgymnasium in Styria, he studied art history and German for six semesters in Vienna.
picturedesk.com/ÖNB-Bildarchiv Podgorski and journalist Walter Pissecker during the production of “Panorama”
Beginnings at the Rot-Weiß-Rot station
As early as 1953 he started working as a news anchor and reporter for the Rot-Weiß-Rot station. In 1955 he moved to the current affairs department of the newly founded ORF television and soon became senior editor of Zeit im Bild, the name of which was his idea.
TV and radio notice
The ORF is changing its program in memory of Teddy Podgorski. The portrait “The Teddy – A TV Legend” can be seen on ORF2 on Sunday at 4 p.m. A repeat will be broadcast at 11:05 p.m. Ö1 broadcasts a “Hörbild Spezial” on Sunday at 4 p.m. On ORFIII, Podgorski will pay tribute with a “Culture Today Special” on Monday at 7:45 p.m. On Tuesday, ORFIII will also show “Der Teddy – A TV Legend” at 9:55 p.m. followed by “Long Night in Memoriam Teddy Podgorski” – more on this in tv.ORF.at.
He would hardly have dared to suggest the name of the format back then. “Because he sounds so old-fashioned,” Podgorski recalled in an interview. The television boss wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it either, but left it on until someone better was found. “And as you can see. An Austrian temporary solution lasts a long time,” says Podgorski.
Responsible for numerous successful formats
In 1967 he was promoted to chief reporter by the then ORF general manager Gerd Bacher and was soon to be responsible for numerous successful formats. He created successful programs such as “Sportpanorama” and “An den Boxen”.
In 1972 he was promoted to TV sports director at ORF – an ideal position for the sports enthusiast who has also become known as an amateur boxer, racing driver, aviator, rider, cyclist and lover of English classic cars. He also appeared regularly in front of the camera for the shows “Seinezeit” and “Jolly Joker”.
He remained in the position until his appointment as ORF general director in 1986. During his four years in office as ORF boss, Podgorski not only pushed forward TV regionalization and format development, but also concluded important contracts with the broadcasting companies of Eastern Europe for the first time.
Trauer um Ex-ORF-Generalintendant Podgorski
The television legend Teddy Podgorski is dead. The Viennese native died on Saturday night at the age of 88. Podgorski shaped Austrian television for decades as a journalist, broadcaster and presenter – between 1986 and 1990 he was general director of ORF. Program formats such as “Seitenblicke”, “Federal State Today” and “Universum” go back to the all-rounder; Time in the Picture owes its name to Podgorski.
About ORF’s relationship with politics, he once noted that one was confronted with many demands from both red and black, and that in order to raise fees, one had to “really go from one to the other as a servant with a hat in hand” and bow deeply from one to the other. However, he didn’t fulfill many of the ideas expressed “because I really didn’t care whether I would be re-elected.” He was then replaced by Bacher as general manager.
Detour into acting
In addition to his broad work on TV, there were detours into acting (for example as Gestapo agent Pfalzner in “The Bockerer”) and book publications such as “Mohammed Ali”, “Muscles on Paper” and the Olympic book “Innsbruck and Montreal”.
APA/Ulrich Schnarr Podgorski with Marianne Chappuis and Harald Harth in Johann Nestroy’s “The Evil Spirit Lumpacivagabundus” at the Vienna Theater in der Josefstadt (1995)
Podgorski later appeared on Servus TV in 2010 with the talk show “In Conversation with Teddy Podgorski”, for which the ambience of the legendary Gutruf pub was specially recreated. But even without a camera, Podgorski is remembered by the audience, as he also worked as a theater director and actor, for example when he staged at the Theater in der Josefstadt and at the Vienna Kammerspiele and took part in productions at the State Opera, the Volksoper and the Mörbisch Seefestspiele.
Awarded many times
Podgorski has also received other merits in addition to ORF honors in recent decades: in 1970 he received the Golden Camera for the magazine “Panorama”. A Bambi, a sports Oscar and the Golden Ring of Lausanne are also among the program maker’s trophies. In 1985 he received the Great Decoration for Services to the Republic and in 1998 the Gold Decoration for Services to the State of Vienna.
APA/Georg Hochmuth Podgorski has received several awards for his work – he received the Golden Camera for the magazine “Panorama”.
Weißmann: “Knew ORF like no one else”
“The death of Thaddäus Podgorski deeply affects me,” said ORF General Director Roland Weißmann. “Thaddäus Podgorski was the first TV practitioner to lead the ORF as general director – he knew the ORF like no one else. With the expansion of the 3sat program, TV regionalization and the numerous ethnic group programs, Podgorski has built essential pillars for a strong ORF,” said Weißmann.
Many of his program ideas and program impulses are still fixed points in the ORF program, continued Weißmann, “be it ‘Universe’, Time in the Picture or ‘Federal State Today’. On behalf of the ORF, I wish the relatives a lot of strength, my deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones,” said the ORF boss.
Kogler: “Fixed component” in living rooms at home
“Teddy Podgorski has shaped the television landscape like no one else and has set important course at ORF with regionalization and minority editorial team,” said Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on X (Twitter). “Teddy Podgorski’s work was a fixture in Austrians’ living rooms. We will remember his gift of teaching for a long time,” wrote Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) on X.
What would the ORF be without ZIB, Universum & Seitenblicke? Teddy Podgorski has shaped the television landscape like no one else and has set an important course at ORF with regionalization and minority editing. He will be missed! My sincerest condolences go out to his family. (vdb)
— A. Van der Bellen (@vanderbanen) March 16, 2024
SPÖ media spokeswoman Muna Duzdar was also affected by Podgorski’s death. “Austria is losing a passionate journalist and important television producer. Important modernizations and innovations at ORF bear his signature,” said Duzdar. The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), also highlighted Podgorski’s role as a “television pioneer” – and also described his “detour into acting” as “remarkable” – more on this in wien.ORF.at.
“With Teddy Podgorski, Austria is losing an important part of its television memory,” said the President of the Austrian section of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Fritz Hausjell, on Facebook: “A really great TV maker with backbone is unfortunately no longer there. I am very sad.”