Today’s anniversary broadcast: 50 years of “3nach9”

The Radio Bremen talk show “3nach9” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this Friday. On this occasion, the now 93-year-old presenter from the very beginning, Marianne Koch, will be a guest when Judith Rakers and Giovanni di Lorenzo welcome us to the big anniversary live broadcast from 10 p.m.

Personal stories and encounters – that’s what “3nach9” is all about. For its 50th birthday, the presenter duo provides insights into Germany’s longest-running TV talk show.

It’s about people and their stories. For 50 years, Radio Bremen’s television talk show “3nach9” has brought various personalities into conversation with each other. This makes the monthly program Germany’s longest-running talk show on TV. The German Press Agency spoke to the moderation duo before the milestone birthday and provides insights into a program with the motto “Entertainment to think along with”:

Conducting conversations with a clear goal

Many guests are known nationally, others are not. The aim is to show what kind of person the guest is, says Giovanni di Lorenzo, who hosts “3nach9” together with Judith Rakers. “We try to create an atmosphere in which people are willing to open up and tell something,” explains Rakers. “We have great personalities as our guests who have often been interviewed in individual interviews – with us they meet and talk to each other. This often creates a special magic.”

The fact that she questions the guests differently than her colleague is helpful. “We are both different, the guests are different and everything together is the overall concept.” From the perspective of media researcher Prof. Joan Kristin Bleicher from the University of Hamburg, personal and flexible conversations are part of the show’s recipe for success. This could create the impression that viewers themselves are taking part in the talk show.

Special memories

Some conversations resonate with the hosts for a long time. “It’s always the guests who touch you emotionally,” says Giovanni di Lorenzo. This was the case with the nurse and poetry slammer Leah Weigand with her poem about the poor conditions in care. “Almost everyone sat there and had to fight back tears, including me,” he remembers. “She knew what she was talking about.”

For Judith Rakers, the conversation with the oncologist and cancer researcher Wolfram Gössling was one of those that particularly touched her. The doctor, who treated numerous cancer patients, himself received a devastating diagnosis.

Guidelines for the discussions

According to their own statements, the moderation duo have hardly any restrictions for their conversations. Sometimes it happens that a celebrity doesn’t want to talk about his private or love life. “And that’s okay, personal rights are protected in Germany,” explains the moderator.

Giovanni di Lorenzo says that there were no guidelines when Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and CDU leader Friedrich Merz visited. “Both were careful not to tell us any wishes or no-gos beforehand. There were also no agreements on the content.”

Records and reasons to celebrate

In addition to the show’s 50th anniversary, the team can look forward to other records. Giovanni di Lorenzo has hosted the talk show since 1989 and has not missed a single program so far. “Nobody starts and thinks that they will still be there after 35 years,” says the journalist, who is also editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”. The journalist, author and entrepreneur Judith Rakers has been the host of “3nach9” for 14 years – no other presenter of the talk show has been there longer.

Both are very happy about half a century of “3nach9”. “I think it’s a big compliment to our team and to the show that the viewers are still loyal to us,” says Rakers. “3nach9” will celebrate its 50th birthday next Friday (November 15th) with a live broadcast. By the way, the name of the show came about because the talk show was originally shown with three presenters shortly after nine in the evening.

Feedback and self-criticism

After each show there is a round in which the editorial team and the moderation team talk about the most recent talk show. According to their own statements, the two learned a lot from “3nach9”. An important insight for Giovanni di Lorenzo was: “It is not important that you present yourself with a particularly clever question, but rather that the guest reveals as much about themselves as possible. The tone and content of the questions must be subordinate to this goal.”

Rakers learned to deal with different personalities and to rely on his own curiosity when talking. “I prepared too much at the beginning,” she says. “I actually already had the answer to every question I asked the guest.”

The future

Media researcher Bleicher from the University of Hamburg assumes that viewers’ interest in other people’s lives and opinions will not diminish. “The often inauthentic self-presentation of celebrities on social media increases the need for authenticity in direct conversations,” says the scientist. Since the topics, guests and conversations adapt to current developments, “3nach9” can find and retain an audience.

It is unclear how long 65-year-old Giovanni di Lorenzo and 48-year-old Judith Rakers will host the talk show. “Only God and above all the editorial team of ‘3nach9’ know that,” says Giovanni di Lorenzo.