Notizen aus der Provinz
Encyclopedia
Notizen aus der Provinz (German
for "news from the province") was a political cabaret
program hosted by Dieter Hildebrandt
and broadcast by ZDF
from 1973 to 1979. After its cancellation, it would be the last such program on the channel until Neues aus der Anstalt
premiered in January 2007.
(NDR) had tried out a similar concept, Hallo Nachbarn! (based on the BBC
show That Was The Week That Was
), in 1963. Hildebrandt had previously worked on Rückblende for the NDR in which he featured in the persona of a politics-analysing roofer
.
, the Notizen were frequently attacked by conservative politicians, most notably by those of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
(CSU) and the Christian Democratic Union
which served only to increase its popularity.
ZDF stopped production and broadcasting of two episodes as their content was deemed too controversial by the channel's bosses:
In 1975, parts of an episode concerning abortion
were censored and not broadcast. The censored parts contained the introduction of a fictional new law that would make sterilisation
mandatory based on the number of the Personalausweis of men affected. Hildebrandt was awarded the Adolf-Grimme-Preis in 1976 for those parts.
The 45th episode, due to be broadcast on 27 October 1977 and to deal with the topic of terrorism
and the German Autumn
, was cancelled. According to ZDF, the decision not to produce the episode was made by the editorial staff of the program while Hildebrandt commented in his autobiography Was bleibt mir anders übrig that the channel's management had deemed terrorism a taboo topic for satire and unsuitable for coverage in the program.
Officially the program is still on hiatus, with "Jahr des Kindes" being the last episode aired on 22 November 1979.
(SFB) where he founded the Scheibenwischer
as a similar program that ran until 2009. ZDF would ban political cabaret from its programming until January 2007, when it was decided to broadcast a new cabaret program, Neues aus der Anstalt
.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "news from the province") was a political cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
program hosted by Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt is a German Kabarett artist.Born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Hildebrandt attended school until he became an assistant for the German Air Force in World War II...
and broadcast by ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
from 1973 to 1979. After its cancellation, it would be the last such program on the channel until Neues aus der Anstalt
Neues aus der Anstalt
Neues aus der Anstalt is a political cabaret program on German television station ZDF, hosted by Urban Priol and Georg Schramm...
premiered in January 2007.
History
Notizen aus der Provinz was the second attempt to establish a political cabaret show in German television after the Norddeutscher RundfunkNorddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
(NDR) had tried out a similar concept, Hallo Nachbarn! (based on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
show That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was
That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, is a satirical television comedy programme that was shown on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin and presented by David Frost...
), in 1963. Hildebrandt had previously worked on Rückblende for the NDR in which he featured in the persona of a politics-analysing roofer
Roofer
A roofer specializes in roof construction, concentrating on the application of materials that water proof and / or weather proof buildings,designed material—as a substrate for the roofing materials to be installed on. The rafters, beams, and trusses are the frame or skeleton for the roof to be...
.
Conception
The program was created as a satirical news magazine and as such did not feature an intricate studio decoration. Instead, Hildebrandt — feigning provincial innocence — would sit on a desk and comment on recent events from a satirical perspective, combined with 3-5 minute long clips about the subjects.Reception
The show proved soon to be popular with the audience, receiving an audience rating between 30% and 45%.Controversy
Like Hildebrandt's later program, ScheibenwischerScheibenwischer
Scheibenwischer was the name of a long-running German Kabarett show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt and produced by BR / RBB to be broadcast on Das Erste...
, the Notizen were frequently attacked by conservative politicians, most notably by those of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
(CSU) and the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
which served only to increase its popularity.
ZDF stopped production and broadcasting of two episodes as their content was deemed too controversial by the channel's bosses:
In 1975, parts of an episode concerning abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
were censored and not broadcast. The censored parts contained the introduction of a fictional new law that would make sterilisation
Compulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization also known as forced sterilization programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization...
mandatory based on the number of the Personalausweis of men affected. Hildebrandt was awarded the Adolf-Grimme-Preis in 1976 for those parts.
The 45th episode, due to be broadcast on 27 October 1977 and to deal with the topic of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and the German Autumn
German Autumn
The German Autumn was a set of events in late 1977, associated with the kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hanns-Martin Schleyer, President of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations and the Federation of German Industries , by the Red Army Faction , and the hijacking of the...
, was cancelled. According to ZDF, the decision not to produce the episode was made by the editorial staff of the program while Hildebrandt commented in his autobiography Was bleibt mir anders übrig that the channel's management had deemed terrorism a taboo topic for satire and unsuitable for coverage in the program.
Indefinitely on hiatus
In 1979, the ZDF chief of programming Dieter Stolte urged for the program to be put on hold. Officially this was declared as a "creative break" although Hildebrandt and others surmised that Stolte wanted to avoid the show influencing the 1980 federal elections. In the same year, ZDF stopped the collaboration with Hildebrandt who was considered "politically biased". Hildebrandt's persona as the innocent commentator from the province proved to be easily identifiable by the public and as such, identification with his satirical opinions about politicians was deemed very likely.Officially the program is still on hiatus, with "Jahr des Kindes" being the last episode aired on 22 November 1979.
Legacy
After the effective cancellation of the Notizen, Hildebrandt switched to the Sender Freies BerlinSender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003...
(SFB) where he founded the Scheibenwischer
Scheibenwischer
Scheibenwischer was the name of a long-running German Kabarett show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt and produced by BR / RBB to be broadcast on Das Erste...
as a similar program that ran until 2009. ZDF would ban political cabaret from its programming until January 2007, when it was decided to broadcast a new cabaret program, Neues aus der Anstalt
Neues aus der Anstalt
Neues aus der Anstalt is a political cabaret program on German television station ZDF, hosted by Urban Priol and Georg Schramm...
.