"Stadl" out: Andy Borg's sin of omission
Now SRF Head of Entertainment Christoph Gebel is breaking his silence: Andy Borg had the chance to save «Musikantenstadl»—but he refused to consider any of the proposed changes.
"For two years we tried to convince Andy Borg to work with us on the show," says SRF entertainment boss Christoph Gebel in the Swiss TV magazine Tele. The background: ratings had dropped so much since 2013 that ARD wanted out. ORF and SRF did not like to resign themselves to this, but tried to adapt and freshen up some things. The goal: to win back the audience, to save the traditional show. "But Andy Borg," says Gebel, "has always resisted change." In November 2014, Borg spoke out against rejuvenation (Werbewoche.ch reported). Only then did they resort to the most radical means, the New launch 2015 under the name "Stadlshow" with the hosts Francine Jordi and Alexander Mazza.
While the ratings were good in Switzerland and Austria, the show failed with German audiences. Consequence: the end. The question remains: Would it have been possible to turn things around if Andy Borg had pulled together with the broadcasters?
In January 2016, Borg told the German newspaper Bild-Zeitung who he saw as the culprits for the end of the show: "Clearly those who made the decision to make 'Stadl' younger. Because that was a decision against the viewers." The latter, he said, knew exactly what they wanted and didn't let anything be dictated to them. (hae/Tele)
