Impaled: The sixth power

The punch line is spot on: "After the sponsor jumps ship - only cheap gags". This was the headline Blick online used this week to take the show "Giacobbo/ Müller" to task. The criticism was prompted by the fact that the popular public success "Late Service public" lost its sponsor in November. Mobiliar, whose "Schadenskizzen" (damage sketches) have provided an already amusing lead-in to Fröilein Da Capo since 2008, plans to invest its estimated CHF 200,000 in a new adventure format "Homerun" in future. This will be broadcast on Sat 1 Switzerland. And thus on a Ringier media product. MobiJeunes" is to be promoted there to a younger target group. This makes perfect sense in terms of media strategy. Nevertheless, the beneficiary Ringier apparently wanted to get a little more out of the deal and make the entire program of the competition the victim of a damage sketch.

"Giacobbo/Müller have no more money for good punchlines because of this loss of sponsorship." In fact, Blick itself has put a funny joke on air with this calculation. However, the onliner does little to convince. Not only because the punchline writers at SRF earn very little. The satire editorial team is nevertheless bombarded with a barrage of advertising copywriters who are desperate to be creative for the "Giacobbo/Müller" show. Of course, the Blick writer knows this too. And perhaps he wanted to apply for the job himself with his punchline "only (still) cheap gags".

However, it could also be interpreted more maliciously: A new campaign is being launched here. Blick.ch has also called on its readers to submit ideas for better satire to accompany the article. A few twitters have already been incorporated into the criticism as discussion starters. "Long-winded and boring", says one user. On the other hand, Frank Baumann still thinks the show is good, even though he "hasn't tuned in for a while". It doesn't matter when it comes to forming an opinion, the main thing is that you have something to say. And that is perhaps the crucial point of this column. People want to have something to say! In the past, the legislature was considered the first power in the state. The second was the executive. For years, newspapers were counted as the third power.

This assessment has become increasingly diluted with the progressive fragmentation of the media. Facebook and Twitter have joined the fray and social media must now be described as an increasingly powerful fourth force. Satire would then be the fifth. But the boundaries are blurred. Günther Jauch talks to his guests on ARD from a dome that is much larger than its architectural model in the Bundestag. Politics is not yet done at Jauch. In this program, however, it receives the consecration of broad acceptance. Of course, the Bild newspaper had to show once again who is the master of the state. Wulff was probably right to leave. But it wasn't the politicians who caused it. And who is in charge in Switzerland is also decided in a medium - the number 1 - with the program "Roger gegen Roger". And this format shows: As a sixth power in the state that should not be underestimated, real satire will increasingly come into play in the current development of the media.