The program director of ARD, Christine Strobl, has presented a paper on the reform of the first program together with her deputy Florian Hager and the editor-in-chief Oliver Köhr.

She wants to strengthen the media library and change a few things in the linear program.

In future, the “Weltspiegel” will not run early on Sunday evening, but on Mondays in the late-night program, and the number of issues of the political magazines is to drop from ninety to 66 per year.

Instead, the editors should bundle their capacities for pieces that run under a new, common label in the Erste and in the media library.

New talk shows and programs focused on personalities are also on the agenda, which ARD directors and program managers are currently discussing.

Axel Weidemann

Editor in the features section.

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There is no lack of criticism from those affected.

Foreign correspondents have spoken out, former correspondents, directors and moderators, authors have written open letters, the magazine bosses have made a request, the head of the "Monitor" editorial team, Georg Restle, has formulated his concerns particularly clearly and before a " Trivialization ”of the program warned (FAZ of July 15).

We ask Christine Strobl, who took up her position in the ARD program directorate in Munich on May 1st, about the background.

How do you respond to those who accuse you of the fact that your plans with regard to the political magazines and the “Weltspiegel” led the ARD into “trivialization”?

The opposite is the case.

We want to expand political reporting and create a new focus on “investigative journalism”.

What will be gained if the number of political magazine programs goes down?

The most important thing is that we reach the whole population, including the younger generation, with the research and topics in the political magazines, which are part of the brand essence of our information skills.

Due to the changing usage behavior, this is no longer guaranteed through Das Erste alone.

That is why we are now consistently thinking Das Erste and the ARD Mediathek together for the first time.

We therefore also need documentaries and reports from the editorial offices of the political magazines that are suitable for the ARD media library in terms of design and topic setting.

The challenge for the editorial offices of the political magazines is therefore that, in addition to the classic contributions, specific pieces are also created for the ARD media library.

What can or should run on the broadcast slots that will then become free?

Nothing, because there are no free slots.

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 9.45 p.m., topics from the political magazine editors will be presented.

Are TV slots overrated anyway?

Definitely at least for everyone who has long since taken the on-demand offer as a matter of course, and that's those under fifty-year-olds.

In classic linear television, broadcasting slots and reliability still play a major role, but a broadcasting slot alone does not generate any relevance.