When the Lower Austria regional studio invited people to the new regular discussion program "Ein Ort am Wort" in October 2023, many colleagues remembered the sentence from one participant: "Are they really not cutting anything out?". The new discussion format takes place once a month in a community to which ORF Lower Austria invites people to talk about a regionally topical and controversial issue. One hour, pros and cons, live to tape, without editing.
From wolves in the Waldviertel to a highway project east of Vienna, from the future of skiing to planned wind farms - there is hardly a topic that has not been discussed passionately and in detail in the first editions.
The entire discussion can be heard on Radio Niederösterreich and seen via livestream on ORF ON, while "Niederösterreich heute" accompanies the program and shows a summary the day after.
The feedback has been gratifying: after all the broadcasts, guests have expressed their gratitude that ORF comes "home" to them, shows interest in their everyday lives and that all positions are heard.
The new program offered by ORF Lower Austria is just one example of initiatives to increase contact with the audience. There are similar offers in other regional studios, from daily radio phone-in programs to on-air and off-air public campaigns. For example, the "Radio Steiermark" team is out and about in the province as much as possible, for example with the three-hour programs "Heimatsommer" or "Winterzauber". And in "Hallo Steiermark", listeners also have their say alongside experts on key topics. Or Vorarlberg: In the 167 episodes of "Neues bei Neustädter", presenter Matthias Neustädter invited listeners to discuss current topics from Monday to Friday at 1.00 pm. In Tyrol, there were 120 telephone calls on "Guten Morgen, Tirol" and 200 on "Radio Tirol am Vormittag" in 2023. And during the "Sommerfrische", which was featured in 44 radio programs and eight TV reports, a total of around 20,000 visitors flocked to the outdoor events. On "Radio Burgenland", listeners can listen in several languages on air: in "Your opinion is in demand" on socio-political issues, and in "Časak Radosti", for example, at least entertaining with music requests. Of course, interviewees from Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are also regularly featured in ORF Burgenland broadcasts. As part of the "Radio Wien zum Mitreden" series, various topics were discussed live on air with listeners over the course of the year. From a possible ban on e-scooters based on the Paris model to inflation and savings measures in everyday life, opinions on the city's cultural offerings, cycling in Vienna, waste separation, smoking and climate change and its impact on weather phenomena. The program, which lasts one to two hours at lunchtime, was presented by Radio Wien presenters such as Christian Ludwig and Carola Gausterer. Some programs were hosted by guest presenter Guido
Tartarotti.
Radio Wien is also focusing on talk formats with listener participation in 2023/24. Most of these talks will take place off air and will then be broadcast on air with a time delay. The programs are broadcast live or recorded every Sunday between 12:00 and 13:00. Locations such as the Theater Akzent, the Ringturm or the Radiocafé allow the audience to participate and contribute. The aim is to exchange opinions and perspectives and to strengthen the audience's loyalty to the radio station. These formats are hosted by program director Jasmin Dolati. She invites guests - experts from various fields - who she interviews on the podium.
The topics range from scientific topics such as neurobiology (how does the human brain work and what feelings can be derived and explained from this?), topics about climate and sustainability and what effects this has on our diet, topics such as healthy sleep and why many people have sleep disorders and what can be done about them, topics relating to people living together, such as life in patchwork families, and how it can be as peaceful and as a bonus family as possible. The coexistence of humans and animals was also discussed. Why people form bonds with their animals and what this bond means, especially in difficult times. In these talk formats, the experts explain connections and provide inspiration. This creates new approaches and new perspectives, and the audience can join in and ask questions afterwards. These talk formats have proven to be very popular, as evidenced by the consistently high number of registrations for participation.
Listeners in Carinthia also provide strong impetus. In the discussion format "Streitkultur", the audience discusses with experts and politicians. In "Vor dem Eisernen", a discussion program in cooperation with the Klagenfurt City Theatre live in front of the theater's Iron Curtain on Mondays at 8 p.m., topics such as "Twilight of the Gods or Twilight of the Idols? The malaise in politics, the economy and society" or "Are the rich to blame for poverty?" etc. But the youngest also have their say. In "Kuddelmuddel-Plauderradio", children can call in live to the program and talk about topics that are relevant to them. On ORF radio, including the national stations Ö3, FM4 and Ö1, listeners can express their opinions again and again, whether in entertaining formats such as "Frag das ganze Land" or in "Von Tag zu Tag" on Ö1. In the context of TV, reference should of course be made to the "Bürgeranwalt" (Citizens' Advocate), which addresses the concerns of those who cannot afford to hire a bunch of lawyers. For years, this program has been discussing issues that people are personally concerned about. The weekly "Barbara Karlich Show", now "Talk um 4 - mit Barbara Karlich", is also like this and yet completely different, at least a forum for those who are otherwise rarely heard. Hardly any other TV station in the German-speaking world offers an hour of programming every day in which people from all over the country can talk about a specific topic. And in order to give people even more space, ORF is also doing a lot in 2024: "ORF fragt" surveys the opinions of people living in Austria on various topics and broadcasts the results as part of a major TV show - and of course publishes them on ORF.at.
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