ZDF's Bogus Show

Last week, ZDF (our channel two on the public-run TV listing) ran two shows....each around two hours each (no commercials).

It was a poll-like show.  One for the most noted man in Germany.  The other....the most noted woman in Germany.  I watched the ladies show.  I sat there....mostly scratching my head....how some notable German women who were big names in the 1980s....were near the bottom, but a couple of German female soccer or ski athletes were way above them.  Some big name singers made the list....some didn't.

What the network said at the time was that they had a very comprehensive poll....and it was the best of the best....in terms of results.

Well....it took around five days for ZDF to admit that the original method they described in putting the listing together....failed.  Once groups on the internet realized their "star" was up on the poll....they voted more than you'd think.  So, somehow....someway...ZDF figured a method to drop the internet results and just one single method with minimal value.  

So, both shows were built around this bogus idea, and ran on two separate nights.  You can figure that they spent at least half-a-million on each show to get the big-name stars there.....put the production together....add the video and commentary.....and get the production crew lined up.  All of that....coming out of TV tax revenue.

ZDF apparently got caught in this lie....and there's some talk now via German news media sites that someone will sue someone over the fib.  The best you can say is that it was a good idea in the beginning, but once you suggested to let the public vote via the internet....you were opening up a can of worms.  On the men's side.....Adolph Hitler could have easily gotten votes and wound up being the most popular guy in Germany since 1945.....if you allowed polling to take place like suggested.

We are at a point where both ZDF and ADD both have credibility problems.  They might still have a good favorability ranking with folks over the age of sixty....but once you get down into the 20-to-40 year old crowd.....it's not exactly positive numbers.

The funny thing now....folks will still quote this poll used to pick the top fifty men or women.....thinking it's all accurate, and it's a totally bogus poll.