"Musikantenstadl": Future without Andy Borg?
A turning point in the battle over «Musikantenstadl»: While fans had previously been worried about the show’s future as a whole, the focus is now primarily on Andy Borg. This is reported by the TV magazines *Tele* and *TV-Star* in their latest issues.
The reason for the irritable mood is the Facebook call Borg's appeal to the audience to support the show. SRF Head of Entertainment Christoph Gebel: "We consider Andy Borg's appeal to be very clumsy. Rushing ahead in this way, at a time when decisions have not yet been made, has certainly not helped the cause." From a Swiss perspective, interest in the show remains high. Gebel: "But the show urgently needs to be brought into a new era."
Borg speaks out clearly against this planned "rejuvenation" on Facebook: "I keep hearing behind closed doors that the average age of the audience needs to be corrected downwards. But I am proud to say that our Stadl viewers are 68 years young on average." The "best agers" and "silver agers" like the show the way it is - not everyone has to like folk music.
According to Tele and TV-Star, the heads of BR, ORF and SRF are now discussing a modernization. According to Christoph Gebel, they need to think about "what the show should sound like afterwards, what it could look like - and last but not least, who will present it". A decision on how to proceed with the show will be made in spring 2015. What the future holds remains to be seen. Back in 2012, there was speculation that the show would end (Werbewoche.ch reported). (hae/pd)
Image: Keystone
