Friday, August 9, 2019

Analysis Over the Nightly German Public News

There are three elements to this analysis and essay: regional news, the ZDF presentation, and the ARD presentation.

So at 7:30 PM nightly....each region via the sub-public networks....will present a 30-minute regional news piece, which always concludes with weather. 

If there was a major traffic accident (say multiple cars), then it might get a 30 to 60 second mention within the state or region. 

Regional politics and commentary will usually figure into most evening news segments.  One could say that it's reasonably balanced, and can be considered reliable. 

So, to the ZDF news presentation (out of Mainz)....it normally will run at 9:45 PM.  The segment will be 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how much they want to present. 

The top two items of the evening news will be an in-depth piece and usually require three to eight minutes each.  After that, the journalists with the hyped subjects will hand it off to the 2nd person....who shifts through roughly ten significant stories, and then returns to the starting 'anchor' for two or three ending pieces. 

Politics?  Live interview do occur on a regular basis, and the ZDF crew can be aggressive. 

A save-the-world routine?  This is probably where ZDF is different than ARD, and goes to a far extreme on various topics....trying to stress to you the viewer....that saving-the-world is their top priority.  At the end of the piece....sports and weather will be the end-piece. 

It's safe to also say that via facial expressions.....ZDF is maxing out on expressions almost nightly, while ARD journalists try hard to stay stoic in nature. 

Finally, to ARD news (coming out of Hamburg).  There are typically two segments (8:00 PM and 9:45 PM).   

The 8:00 PM situation is written by journalists, but read by a 'reader'.  Yes, the person is hired because they give a very good speech and presentation....not for their journalistic skill.  So the guy or gal is stoic in appearance and avoiding eyebrow movement. 

The 9:45 PM ARD presentation is a two-person situation.  There'll usually be one big significant story which is run into serious detail (maybe up to six to eight minutes) and actually done by a journalist.  Then it'll be handed to the 2nd person (always the 8:00 PM 'reader'), to tell a dozen-odd stories.

Toward the end, the original ARD journalist will get the last detail, and then the weather is thrown in.

Statistics can be skewed....but typically, most Germans watch the 8:00 PM 15-minute news piece for their 'ration' of news.  On the positive side, it's simply the basic story, without any complicated angles to it (what you'd typically get on ZDF's version). 

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