2024-05-10 17:49:08
The ARD is on a austerity course. Talk show fans in particular are feeling this now. These popular third party formats are not broadcast.
Bad news for lovers of talk show formats. Like many companies at the moment, ARD also seems to be keeping a close eye on its budget. This means that austerity measures are now disrupting the TV program in many regions of the Federal Republic. On the so-called third parties, i.e. the ARD’s full regional programs, region-specific talk shows heralded the weekend on Friday evenings. But not on Friday, May 10, 2024 – and there will be program changes in the future too.
MDR viewers have to do without the program “Riverboat” and WDR will not show “Kölner Treff” on May 10th as usual. Instead, the “NDR Talk Show” runs there at 10 p.m., just like on SWR, parallel to its broadcast on the northern German station.
ARD is saving on its talk show program
The reason for this is cost-cutting measures, as an ARD spokeswoman confirmed to the “Bild” newspaper: “As part of the recent ARD program reform, more cooperation and exchange of programs has also been agreed on the third TV programs of the ARD media houses.” The advantage for ARD of the decision: If a program like the “NDR Talk Show” is also broadcast on other channels, the latter do not have to produce their own formats on that day.
The aim is to further intensify cooperation between third parties in the future. According to the ARD spokeswoman, “a gradual expansion of the cooperation” in the area of talk has been agreed. “In 2024, a total of five ARD media companies will take over each other’s talk shows – MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, SWR, WDR,” she explains. Various models for ongoing cooperation are currently being clarified.
The cooperation began last Good Friday, when the SWR “Nachtcafé” was also shown on other third-party channels. As “Bild” found out upon request from ARD, the “Kölner Treff” took over on September 6th, the MDR “Riverboat” on November 8th and the “3nach9” format produced by Radio Bremen on Fridays on December 20th Talk show evening on public broadcasting. The money saved would flow into other projects, but especially into digital programs on ARD.