Yes, they are devoting one of their lesser used public networks (usually for Bundestag chatter) for live coverage, and a translator converting it into German.
There are three observations I can make about this:
1. Frankly, out of 82-million....I seriously doubt that there's more than 1,000 Germans who are watching this 'intently'. It's starting in mid-afternoon, and running through the mid-evening hours.
Germans have a set pattern about shows, and viewing. In particular, if soccer games are on, you can figure the majority of men will be watching the game, rather than this.
So I would suggest it's mostly a waste of man-hours and resources.
2. A priority for working class Germans? No.
They just aren't that hyped up about the Trump issues or some impeachment process. They've got a hundred personal or German-related issues, of more importance.
The public TV management crowd not grasping that? I don't think they really care....one way or the other....they just want to make the intellectual folks happy.
3. Finally, you come to this odd problem....opening doors to 'knowledge' that folks weren't told about or warned about.
Whenever this Ukraine chatter comes up in the impeachment hearings....it begs questions....like where this actually started (the billion dollar 'gift' from the US to the Ukrainian company).
Then the hearing reveals that Joe Biden in this matter, and his son is an employee of this Ukrainian gas company (actually on the board).
A German would review this and ask.....if Germany gave a 'gift' like this, and some SPD or CDU bigwig was in the middle of the 'gift', and their son or daughter was a board member of that company in the Ukraine.....there would be a massive call by opposition parties (something that the US doesn't have) to have a commission spend four months finding the 'truth'.
In the German scenario, there would be 'hell-to-pay' for the political figure, and the German tax office would be real curious about the true payments to the son or daughter. In the true sense, someone would be dismissed from the Bundestag.
So by having this out in the open and on German TV, you might be opening up more questions by the public on why German public TV news didn't explain all the details, and asking if there are more details that were not explained.
As for my last comment? If you stepped into a German pub....this just doesn't rate as a top ten conversation topic. Folks might even be more concerned about the firing of the Mainz soccer coach.....then the impeachment chatter.
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