ZDF-Hitparade
Encyclopedia
The ZDF - Hitparade, or Hitparade for short, was one of the most popular and most well-known music television series
by German TV channel ZDF
. It was developed by Truck Branss and Dieter Thomas Heck
and first broadcast on January 18, 1969. The original theme song was written in 1968 by James Last
and remained a hallmark of the show until the last show of host
Dieter Thomas Heck on December 15, 1984.
The first host was Dieter Thomas Heck, who presented the show once a month on Saturday at half past seven. In the show various performers sang their current songs. The performers predominantly came from the range of German Schlager
.
Subsequent hosts of the Hitparade were Viktor Worms (1985–1990) and Uwe Hübner (1990–2000). The last episode aired on December 16, 2000.
, each episode was live, which also was unusual. Another innovation of Hitparade was the stage design. All earlier musical shows in German television had a somewhat theatre-like design which created a huge distance between singer and audience. Also, their stage design was quite opulent with heavy decorations and curtains. Singing at the Hitparade in contrast meant that the audience sat all around the singer while the stage design was a modern latticework of chrome and steel.
The most important innovation introduced by Dieter Thomas Heck was that the audience members had the chance to assert influence in the choice of musical artists. The viewers could select their favorite acts by postcard, which were then allowed to return in the subsequent broadcast. One artist got the chance to come back on subsequent shows with one song, twice.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
by German TV channel 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...
. It was developed by Truck Branss and Dieter Thomas Heck
Dieter Thomas Heck
Dieter Thomas Heck is a German television presenter, singer and actor.- Life :...
and first broadcast on January 18, 1969. The original theme song was written in 1968 by James Last
James Last
James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...
and remained a hallmark of the show until the last show of host
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
Dieter Thomas Heck on December 15, 1984.
The first host was Dieter Thomas Heck, who presented the show once a month on Saturday at half past seven. In the show various performers sang their current songs. The performers predominantly came from the range of German Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
.
Subsequent hosts of the Hitparade were Viktor Worms (1985–1990) and Uwe Hübner (1990–2000). The last episode aired on December 16, 2000.
Idea
When the show was conceived by Dieter Thomas Heck, he established some innovations to the Schlager genre, which already had adapted a somewhat conservative reputation compared to the current musical trends of the time. Among those innovations was the rule that each singer had to present his or her song live (to music from half-playback). Earlier musical TV-shows had already switched to full-playback. Also, with the exception of the pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
, each episode was live, which also was unusual. Another innovation of Hitparade was the stage design. All earlier musical shows in German television had a somewhat theatre-like design which created a huge distance between singer and audience. Also, their stage design was quite opulent with heavy decorations and curtains. Singing at the Hitparade in contrast meant that the audience sat all around the singer while the stage design was a modern latticework of chrome and steel.
The most important innovation introduced by Dieter Thomas Heck was that the audience members had the chance to assert influence in the choice of musical artists. The viewers could select their favorite acts by postcard, which were then allowed to return in the subsequent broadcast. One artist got the chance to come back on subsequent shows with one song, twice.
External links
- http://popup.zdf.de/spiele/orange/zdfhitparade/index_orange.htmlSchlager-Database by ZDFZDFZweites 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...
, with search function for Title, Singer or Episode] - comprehensive Informationen, statistical Data and Broadcast dates on ZDF, ZDFtheaterkanal und 3sat