B.TV

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Infobox radio tower icon
B.TV
Station logo
TV station ( private law )
reception Cable , satellite and antenna
business January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2004
List of TV channels
Station logo from March 2, 2003 (website and press information), on television from June 9, 2003

B.TV was a private television broadcaster from Baden-Württemberg . It was started in January 1995 as a regional broadcaster for Baden under the name TV Baden , expanded in 1998 to become a regional broadcaster for the whole of Baden-Württemberg, broadcasted by satellite across Europe via Astra from 2000 and intended to become a nationwide full program . Due to the insolvency of shareholders, the bursting of the “media bubble” and the resulting collapse of the TV advertising market, the station had to file for bankruptcy in 2002 .

In 2003, the station was taken over by Thomas Hornauer , who redesigned the station as a call-in station with regional reporting and renamed the station BTV4U. The various call-in competitions and esoteric advice shows were massively criticized by politics, the church and the press, and more and more allegations were made against the owner of the station. In the summer of 2004, the State Office for Communication Baden-Württemberg decided not to extend the transmitter's cable license any further, and the transmitter ceased operations at the end of December 2004.

distribution

The B.TV parabolic antenna on August 30, 2005, already without the B.TV logo

B.TV was launched on January 1, 1995 under the name TV Baden as a regional broadcaster for Baden (distribution: cable television and terrestrial in the Middle Upper Rhine region ).

In September 1997, TV Baden was renamed B.TV Baden and the establishment of a broadcasting chain with the name B.TV was announced.

On June 21, 1998, the station expanded with the opening of the new broadcasting center in Ludwigsburg and the start of B.TV Württemberg to become the “State broadcaster Baden-Württemberg”. This title was forbidden to him in August 2000 by Südwestrundfunk (SWR).

From July 17, 2000, the station could be received in analogue form across Europe via Astra, for which a parabolic antenna with a diameter of around 10 meters was built right next to the studios in Ludwigsburg .

From February 2001 the transmitter was fed into the whole of Baden-Württemberg via cable.

The station consisted of several companies with different broadcasting areas and distribution channels:

  • B.TV Baden (Distribution: cable TV and terrestrial in the Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, Baden-Baden region)
  • B.TV Württemberg (distribution: cable television and terrestrial in the Stuttgart, Heilbronn, Reutlingen, Tübingen region)
  • B.TV metropolitan area television (distribution: Astra analogue Europe-wide and cable television in the rest of Baden-Württemberg)

B.TV planned to start its own programs in other federal states and to expand the station into a nationwide full program. The aim was to set up a TV network system based on the American model (central satellite program from Ludwigsburg, enriched with window programs from regional studios).

In October 2001, the Lower Saxony state media authority NLM granted B.TV a license and a cable space for Lower Saxony . The start of broadcasting in Lower Saxony never came about due to the bankruptcy. In 2001, “B.TV Hessen GmbH i. G. “by Bernd Schumacher for the license for the regional television program in the Rhine-Main region, but was rejected in April 2002 by the Hessian State Agency for Private Broadcasting (LpR Hessen). An entry into the local channels of the Kirch group was also considered, but never materialized.

After B.TV's insolvency, only B.TV Ballungsraumfernsehen (cable and Astra analog) was taken over by Thomas Hornauer on January 22, 2003 and renamed BTV4U. The two terrestrial regional programs for Baden and Württemberg have been discontinued.

Since the State Office for Communication Baden-Württemberg (LfK) did not renew the cable license of BTV4U in the summer of 2004, the distribution via cable television had to be stopped on December 31, 2004.

Locations and technology

Schematic floor plan of the B.TV studios in Ludwigsburg from June 1998 to May 2003
Schematic floor plan of the BTV4U studios in Ludwigsburg after the renovation in May 2003

It was initially broadcast from a small studio at the station's headquarters in Karlsruhe .

At the end of June 1998 the station was relocated to Ludwigsburg . There, in the Weststadt industrial area, the entrepreneur Max Maier had built a 10 million mark expensive broadcasting complex and rented it to B.TV.

The right half (from the audience's point of view) of the 1800 m² Studio 8 by B.TV/BTV4U

The site comprised two TV studios (including a 1800 m² “Studio 8” with an extendable grandstand for 1500 spectators), broadcast processing, workshops and, from mid-2000, an Astra uplink parabolic antenna. The technical systems enabled fully digital broadcasting. The offices of the editorial team and management, as well as the editing suite, were located in the historic administration wing of the Eisfink refrigerator factory. The rooms were also furnished according to the laws of Feng Shui and equipped with a huge Yin-Yang symbol set into the floor in the reception area . The broadcaster also had a considerable fleet of 10 OB vans , most of which were bought second-hand from other TV broadcasters. (At the beginning there was no built-in picture and sound control system in Ludwigsburg.) Over the years, the production of more and more programs has been relocated from Karlsruhe to Ludwigsburg.

With the takeover of the station by Thomas Hornauer, broadcasting operations in Karlsruhe were discontinued and only the Ludwigsburg location continued. In March 2003, a third small TV studio (Studio 7) with a joint picture and sound control room was installed in the editorial building in Ludwigsburg.

The stationary picture control room set up in Ludwigsburg in May 2003. From June 9, 2003, all BTV4U broadcasts in Studio 8 and 9 were "driven" from here

To prepare for the competition call-in shows, the entire studio decoration was rebuilt in May 2003, a call center was set up and a stationary image and sound control system was set up for the first time for studios 8 and 9, as broadcasts in Ludwigsburg had previously only been broadcast from OB vans .

Station names, station design, advertising slogan and merchandising

Various B.TV merchandising items: rain jacket (employees only), baseball cap, woolen hat, lanyard, ballpoint pen, advertising fanfold, missing: small bags with gummy bears

The term B.TV was registered as a word mark at the German Patent and Trademark Office from May 1998 to November 2007. The yellow B.TV-Im-Kreis-Logo as a word and figurative mark from April 1998 to November 2007.

The planned establishment of regional window programs is reflected in the names registered for them: The term B.TV bavaria has been registered as a word mark since April 1999 and until February 2019. The yellow B.TV Hessen -Im-Kreis-Logo was registered as a word and figurative mark from November 2000 to June 2010. And the term B. TV Niedersachsen was registered as a word mark in March 2002, but the registration was withdrawn.

The advertising slogan of B.TV changed hands several times, popular were: "New TV B.TV the country needs," "Full program at B.TV" and "B.TV A German Television Network," the latter slogan already well to to announce the goal of a nationwide television network. Merchandising articles were very numerous at B.TV and were mostly distributed quite generously.

In contrast, BTV4U never had a special advertising slogan. Merchandising items were rare (small pins and stickers with the station logo).

On March 2, 2003, Thomas Hornauer presented a new transmitter concept, a new transmitter logo and the new name BTV4 at a press conference . The number 4 was added in the hope of positioning the transmitter in fourth place on the German remote controls .

Approx. From May 2003, the sheet was designed as the letter U in the new logo and appended to the station name. From now on the station operated under the name BTV4U. The 4U “for you” appendage was intended to illustrate the participatory nature of the new transmitter concept. The TV program itself was not officially changed to the new station logo until June 9th.

From November 2004 onwards, the station operated more and more often under the name fresh 4U .

The spelling of the new name (with or without a space between BTV and 4U) is controversial. The spelling changes several times both internally and externally in the program and in press releases. In March and April 2003 the name mostly used was BTV4 . From around May 2003, BTV4U , BTV 4U and even BTV4Y appeared alternately . From the summer of 2003, BTV4U was mostly used, but until the very end it appeared on various publications and also on official letters, sometimes one, sometimes the other spelling. In a lecture by his later broadcaster Telemedial, Thomas Hornauer himself described the spelling without spaces as the correct one. A final assessment is probably not possible because BTV4U was not registered as a word mark, but only as a word and image mark with the German Patent and Trademark Office. (The blue and yellow BTV4U logo was registered as a word and figurative mark from September 2003 to July 2013. And the fresh 4U logo as a word and figurative mark from September 2005 to January 2015.)

Shareholder

B.TV consisted of three companies:

  1. B.TV Baden was operated by DRF TV in Baden GmbH & Co. KG.
  2. B.TV Württemberg was operated by TV Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG.
  3. B.TV Ballungsraumfernsehen (B.TV) was operated by B.TV Television GmbH & Co. KG. This in turn was a subsidiary of B.TV Baden and B.TV Württemberg, supplemented by other shareholders.

From mid-2000, the main shareholders of B.TV were: DRF TV in Baden GmbH & Co. KG (B.TV Baden), TV Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG (B.TV Württemberg), Bernd Schumacher (program director), Munich newspaper publisher GmbH & Co. KG, Kinowelt Medien AG and Rudolf Röser Verlag und Informationsdienste AG, from 2002 also Web.de AG.

After the insolvency of the shareholder Kinowelt Medien AG in December 2001 and the general decline in television advertising income in 2002, the station's significant underfunding, in contrast to the high satellite broadcasting costs, became apparent and it had to file for bankruptcy.

As part of the bankruptcy, the broadcaster B.TV Ballungsraumfernsehen was bought on January 22, 2003 by entrepreneur Thomas Hornauer, for an estimated 1.6 million euros in media circles, from B.TV Television GmbH & Co. KG and from March 2003 by the company Regio Network Communication GmbH & Co. KG (RNC) founded for this purpose .

The two operating companies of the regional broadcasters for Baden and Württemberg ( DRF TV in Baden GmbH & Co. KG and TV Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG ) were not taken over and therefore dissolved.

Managing directors

  • January 1, 1995 to January 22, 2003: Bernd Schumacher (Managing Director)
  • January 23, 2003 to March 31, 2003: Thomas Hornauer (Managing Director)
  • April 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004: Michael Herfurth (Management Finances, Human Resources and Legal)
  • April 1, 2003 to January 15, 2004: Karl Watzl (Program Manager)
  • July 15, 2004 to July 22, 2004: Thorsten Schmitt (Operational Managing Director)
  • August 1, 2004 to July 31, 2005: Christian Kurtzke (Managing Director RNC)
  • August 1, 2004 to ???: Monika Strobl-Klein (Managing Director RNC)

Program Directorate

  • January 1, 1995 to January 22, 2003: Bernd Schumacher (Program Director)
  • January 23, 2003 to March 17, 2003: Axel Dürr (Editor-in-Chief)
  • April 1, 2003 to May 31, 2003: Hans-Martin Fischer and Regina Meyer (editor-in-chief) (loaned from L-TV )
  • June 1, 2003 to January 15, 2004: Stephan Mattukat (Program Director)
  • January 16, 2004 to ???: Andy Hocewar (program manager)

program

TV Baden's program originally consisted of local reporting for the greater Karlsruhe area. The station's catchment area soon expanded to include the entire Baden area and led to the renaming of the TV conurbation (B.TV). Various self-produced music and entertainment formats as well as telephonic astro advice came into the program very quickly.

With the move to Ludwigsburg in mid-1998 and the expansion of the broadcasting area to include all of Baden-Württemberg on June 1, 1998, regional reporting expanded accordingly. In addition, the large television studio in Ludwigsburg offered the opportunity to produce large television shows in front of a live audience. Therefore, numerous such shows came into the program from that point on. The shows were mostly recorded once a month in front of a large audience and broadcast in small 30, 45 or 55-minute episodes.

With the start of the Astra broadcast and the entry of the new B.TV partner Kinowelt Medien AG in mid-2000, second and third-party exploitation of US series and feature films from the Kinowelt archive was increasingly included in the program.

In addition, various, externally produced leisure magazines and church programs were broadcast.

In the course of 2001, call-in astro advice was switched to chargeable telephone numbers and significantly expanded, teleshopping and long-term advertising, as well as the repetition of US series and our own music shows, were significantly expanded. In return, the news and self-produced reports were reduced.

From late summer 2002 until the station's relaunch on June 9, 2003, B.TV broadcast an “emergency program” with inexpensive programs, repetitions and, increasingly, astro call-in, teleshopping and long-term commercials.

From June 9, 2003 to February 15, 2004, BTV4U broadcast primarily call-in competition shows and premium SMS chat shows, but also regional news from Baden-Württemberg and new experimental TV formats.

From February 16, 2004 until the end of broadcasting operations on December 31, 2004, BTV4U primarily broadcast esoteric call-in programs, but also regional news from Baden-Württemberg and new, sometimes experimental, television formats.

Known formats up to January 2003 (B.TV)

A B.TV microphone protection, as it was usual for all EB microphones during outdoor shoots from approx. 1998 to April 2003

B.TV said it had an in-house production share of 75 percent. Detailed information on almost all programs, including the intended target group, airtime and possible forms of advertising, could be found on the broadcaster's website.

The news program B.TV Aktuell provided information on current events in the state of Baden-Württemberg. This also included sports reports and the police report. The news was produced daily by up to 20 camera teams and in cooperation between the main editorial office in Ludwigsburg and the five regional studios in Karlsruhe, Freiburg, Mannheim, Stuttgart (in the state parliament) and Ulm. The news was broadcast at 7 p.m. and repeated several times during the evening. Short news reports were presented on the hour. From January 2002 a treadmill with current local news was integrated into the program. The program was initially titled in the opening credits with "This is the official Baden-Württemberg news center", which was banned in 2001 at the request of Südwestrundfunk. B.TV Aktuell was not broadcast live, but rather pre-produced in the "like-live design" and broadcast as a video recording .

In the afternoon, B.TV broadcast a music channel with the name Bernie & Co. lasting several hours . The program was initially moderated by the broadcaster's boss Bernd Schumacher “Bernie”. Later, changing pairs of moderators presented the program, which did not follow a fixed concept. The main part of the program was the “topic of the day”, on which viewers could send their opinions to the studio by email. Every now and then music stars were guests. The program was produced live in the broadcast studio in Karlsruhe. Initially, it was broadcast directly from a control room. Later one broadcast from a "living room" that the setting of the sitcom A terribly nice family was modeled on. The program was produced without editing or recording management. Music videos, contributions and cameras were controlled by the moderators themselves on a mixer, similar to the radio. In the initial phase, viewers were able to participate in the program via a normal landline number; in 2001 the number was replaced by a chargeable 0138 number.

The B.TV Astrofon with the astrologer Martin Schmid was initially broadcast two hours a day. From 2001 a third hour of broadcast was added. The show was produced in Studio Karlsruhe, and from February 2003 in Studio 8 in Ludwigsburg. The viewers could call the broadcaster and have Schmid predict the future. Thanks to his sometimes harsh information, Schmid achieved a high level of awareness. The Astrofon was also the only program that was broadcast almost continuously until the station was switched off, even during the “emergency program” after the bankruptcy. It is considered to be the pioneering program of today's "esoteric call-in shows". The program, in which viewers were initially able to call at the normal telephone tariff, was switched to chargeable 0137 numbers in 2001. This concept was retained by Thomas Hornauer, who later became the station boss, but the format was filled with additional hotlines and other astrologers .

Free ticket to the BTV4U rave party on October 4th, 2003 (1st rave party after bankruptcy and conversion to BTV4U)

From September 1998 to January 2003 - and after a ten-month break again from October 2003 to January 2004 - the technoparty B.TV Rave Party took place every first Saturday of the month in Studio 8 in Ludwigsburg. The B.TV Rave Party was broadcast live by B.TV and recordings of it were repeated in the night program of B.TV/BTV4U until the broadcasting operations were discontinued in December 2004. Although the rave was not listed in most event calendars, the event was very well attended and known far beyond the borders of Baden-Württemberg. Even today there are numerous fan websites and video recordings of the B.TV Rave Party on the Internet. And the B.TV rave parties are still running on the telemedial streaming portal.

There was also a big pop music show every third Saturday of the month, Sternstunde - pure charts. It was produced in the 1,800 m² Studio 8 and hosted by the broadcaster's boss Bernd Schumacher himself. A special feature was the mixture of a great music show and astrology, so the "B.TV star astrologer" Martin Schmid was a guest in every program and informed the celebrities and TV viewers present about the status of their stars.

Another music show format with a focus on folk music and hits was the music paradise. Like Sternstunde, this program was also produced once a month with a live audience in Ludwigsburg's large Studio 8 and then broadcast as weekly episodes. The show was moderated by folk music star Andy Hocewar . After B.TV's bankruptcy and the change of name to BTV4U, the program Musikparadies was discontinued and the program Schlagergruss was produced instead . In the program, which was broadcast live every Sunday at 12 noon, viewers were able to express greetings and music requests via a paid telephone number and premium SMS, as well as take part in music votes and a competition. Numerous excerpts from earlier Musikparadies broadcasts were also repeated within the program . After the end of the station BTV4U, the Hocewar family founded their own production company under the name MP-TV . Since then, this company has produced the programs Andy's Musikparadies and Deutsche Schlager Hitparade . Both programs are broadcast on various regional television channels (BW Family.tv, filstalwelle, L-TV) and on the Internet at Volksmusik.TV.

Criticism of B.TV

Because of the strong astrological orientation of the station, the frequent appearances of astrologers in various programs and the introduction of chargeable telephone numbers for astrological advice, the station was attacked more and more often by the Baden-Württemberg churches from 2001 onwards.

Competing local broadcasters accused the broadcaster of cheating in the publication of audience ratings.

In addition, the station carried the title "Erwin TV" in media circles (after the then Prime Minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg Erwin Teufel), because the station was said to be very close to Baden-Wuerttemberg politics and especially to the state government. For example, CDU Prime Minister Erwin Teufel was allowed to explain his view of the world and his political opponents to Bernd Schumacher on the Erwin Teufel program once a month . For the 60th birthday of the Prime Minister, the broadcaster produced a large TV gala, and Helmut Kohl's last government spokesman Otto Hauser received his own talk show on B.TV. In 2001 alone, B.TV also donated 2.1 million marks in kind to all parties represented in the Bundestag.

Bankruptcy and takeover

On July 31, 2002, B.TV filed for bankruptcy. In January 2003 the entrepreneur Thomas Hornauer from Plüderhausen took over the station. The State Institute for Communication (LfK) then issued the license on February 1, 2003 to Regio Network Communication GmbH & Co. KG, managed by Thomas Hornauer, on a trial basis. On April 9, 2003, the license was extended to February 2004.

Hornauer fundamentally redesigned the transmitter. The station was supposed to become a “national hands-on television”. While B.TV 's program consisted of lavish self-produced shows and purchased films and series, and the financing was provided through classic TV advertising and sponsorship, the BTV4 program should consist of a mixture of regional reporting, advice programs and interactive participatory programs . In view of the completely collapsed television advertising market, priority should be given to sending inexpensive and self-produced live programs with extensive opportunities to participate via chargeable telephone numbers and premium SMS to finance broadcasting operations.

Formats from February to May 2003 (BTV4)

From the filing for bankruptcy in July 2002 to March 1, 2003, B.TV broadcast an emergency program, which consisted primarily of repetitions of old B.TV programs and the esoteric call-in program Astrofon . But also individual music shows, such as As the B.TV rave party and the music paradise were partially continued to be produced until January 2003, and sent. In December 2002 all B.TV employees were given notice on January 22, 2003.

After Thomas Hornauer took over the station, a competence team was founded at the end of January 2003. The aim was to prepare for the channel relaunch, to develop new formats and to intensify the integration of call-in elements into existing B.TV programs.

During a press conference on March 2, 2003, the renaming of the station to BTV4 was announced and the relaunch for April 6, 2003 announced. The program should essentially be based on the existing B.TV program, but be supplemented by numerous interactive hands-on elements and new, innovative TV formats.

From March 2, 2003 to mid-April 2003, numerous new programs and formats were experimented with. These experimental programs were mostly developed and produced independently by BTV4U employees. For today from the editorial office - The BTV4U daily docu-soap moderator, editor and cameraman Holger Laser observed the station's employees in their daily work and collected original sounds. The material was cut on the same day and broadcast as a 25-minute “daily docu soap” that evening before the news. Today from the editorial office was the only program in this transition phase that was broadcast continuously from March 2nd to the end of April. On February 18, Thomas Hornauer had already given a motivational speech in front of the employees of the station and had it recorded on video, which was to be broadcast from the editorial team under the title Today . However, since the video had already been leaked to other media by broadcasters and triggered a huge media hype, they were forced to publish the video in advance on the Internet. The video was therefore no longer used in Today from the editorial office . Instead, numerous employees of the station showed solidarity with Hornauer.

Most of the new programs were apparently not very successful and some were taken out of the program after just a few issues. In addition, there were disagreements in the competence team about the new programs, the direction of the station and the influence of Thomas Hornauer. In the course of March, with the exception of Hornauer himself, almost all members of the competence team and the broadcaster left.

Since the LfK called for Thomas Hornauer to withdraw from the management and the editorial team of the station, Michael Herfurth was appointed as director of finance, human resources and law and Karl Watzl as program director on April 1, 2003. The planned relaunch for April 6th was postponed and all new formats were re-examined. By the end of April, all new and experimental formats were gradually taken out of the program and then an emergency program consisting of repetitions of old B.TV programs and the esoteric call-in program Astrofon was broadcast again by June 8, 2003 .

In order to improve the station's income situation, Stephan Mattukat was appointed as the new program director in May 2003. Mattukat, who had previously been deputy program director at 9live , was supposed to revise the previous channel concept again and optimize it for call-in. Call-in competitions and chat formats have now primarily been developed in order to increase income from paid telephone numbers and premium SMS as quickly as possible and to get the station out of the red. And from now on the station was called BTV4U , which was supposed to reinforce the interactive character.

Known formats June 2003 to January 2004 (BTV4U)

A microphone protection from BTV4U, as it was usual for all EB microphones during outdoor shoots from June 2003 to December 2004

On June 9, 2003, the station identification was changed from B.TV to BTV4U and the new program scheme started.

From June 9, 2003 to February 15, 2004, the primetime program consisted of numerous call-in competitions in 9live style. The game shows were produced with multiple cameras and from a great setting in Studio 8 and bore the names of eye test , Luck Candle , Mystery fever , word Sport and Night Quiz.

The esoteric call-in broadcast Astrofon was also retained (initially to a reduced extent in favor of the game shows). From autumn 2003 the program received, at first only vormittägliche, " Fortun -Schwestersendung", a program future à la carte worked on the same concept as the Astrofon instead astrologers came here initially fortune tellers, but later also various other soothsayers , life coach and shamans to Commitment.

The 20-minute main news program News4U was broadcast three times a day with regional news , sports, police reports and weather from Baden-Württemberg. As with the previous program B.TV Aktuell , the news was not broadcast live, but recorded on video in advance in Studio 7 and broadcast several times a day (7:15 p.m., 11:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. the following day ).

Mondays to Fridays at 7:35 p.m. there was a 40-minute interactive talk show with regional topics, the Citizens' Forum . It was a talk show in which mostly a single guest was together with a presenter in Studio 9. Mostly regional topics were dealt with. The viewers were able to participate in the broadcast via premium SMS and 01805 numbers and send questions to the guest and comments on the topic live into the studio. Teo Jägersberg moderated the Sport Citizens' Forum, mostly on Thursday and often in double moderation (without additional guests) with Jimmy Hartwig .

Interactive music shows ( Rock4U / Country4U / Alternative4U ) were broadcast live from Studio 8 three times a week (Monday to Wednesday, 11 p.m. to midnight) . Music videos of the respective genre were shown in the programs. Usually a band was also present in the studio, was allowed to perform and be interviewed by the moderator. The viewers could send comments, questions to the band, greetings and music requests live into the studio via premium SMS. Rock4U , Country4U and Alternative4U received a great deal of feedback from the respective musical target group, as such “special interest music programs” have so far been rare on German TV. Two more shows ( HipHop4U and Club4U ) for Thursday and Friday were already planned and announced on the homepage, but they never started. And the three programs that had already started were gradually taken out of the program again in the summer of 2003 and their airtime allocated to the competition shows.

The station became particularly well-known during this time with two programs that were only planned as a break in the night and morning programs:

The program BTV4U chat_stream was an interactive late-night TV chat show, broadcast daily from midnight to 6 a.m. From midnight to 2 a.m., two moderators moderated the chat live in front of the camera on the split screen . From 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., several chat masters (Misty4u, Chatti4u and Schiller4u) moderated in the background, now under the program name BTV4U SMS-TV, while old recordings from B.TV rave parties were broadcast on the split screen . The concept of the show was simple and cost-saving: young amateur presenters, straight from the target group, sat on a red couch in a corner of Studio 9, read text messages from viewers and did nonsense, small talk or life counseling. The format designed as a pause filler had an unexpectedly great success. Attempts to "inflate" the format with a larger and more elaborate set in Studio 8, several cameras, additional hotlines, go-go dancers and the like failed due to high costs and the unwillingness of the audience to pay these higher costs in the form of significantly higher costs Telephone and SMS charges to be borne. In February 2004, the moderated part from midnight to 2 a.m. fell victim to the restructuring of the broadcasting concept. In contrast, the broadcast from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. continued under the name SMS TV until the end of October 2004.

The show BTV4U morning person was an interactive improvisation morning show , was sent from August 2003 to October 2004, Monday to Friday from 6am to 9am. The format was a pioneer of improvisational entertainment and was actually a three-hour live stand-up television show that was produced in a cost-saving manner, flying blind, with only a rough framework and consisting of only two moderators and one technician. Through a continuous interactive audience participation via premium SMS, 01805 number and direct studio visits, it was possible for the audience as well as various employees of the station to intervene in the course of the show at any time. The program contained news, weather, sport, boulevard, talk, music (live and from CD), guests, cooking, morning gymnastics, music votes, a daily amateur trash soap ( Happy Days ), model car races and, through spontaneous improvisation, much more more. As one of many trashy running gags , each program ended with a song by the station's own folk music star Andy Hocewar, in the form of an excerpt from old Musikparadies programs. The program was initially moderated by editors and format developers Lothar Becker and Holger Laser. After Lothar Becker was promoted to BTV4U editorial manager in February 2004, Daniel Räuchle, Roger Kortus and individual representatives appeared at the side of Holger Laser in his place. At the beginning, the moderation took place live from the new picture control of the station, as the presenters were also responsible for picture control, camera, graphics and player and you could watch them live. The broadcast phantom “Tom im Ton” (real name: Thomas Numberger) was responsible for studio technology , sound control , recording management , format development, call center and broadcast handling for almost all programs in personal union. A special feature of the program was the split-screen design: the television picture usually consisted of two windows (a large main window, in which the main picture and the feed were usually shown, and a small window, which was often used for backstage pictures or a second camera ). There was also a large text field for various text displays, votes, and SMS chat and a ticker with current traffic reports. In the course of time, the BTV4U morning grouches conquered more and more studio areas and technology. That is why later broadcasts were also made from various studios, the studio corridor, broadcasting, the studio backyard, the foyer, the car, the toilet, the parking lot or an inflatable swimming pool. The viewers were able to follow and influence the development of a television program live and backstage. Due to the strong audience participation and the personal addressing of the audience, as well as the improvised broadcast with many live glitches, the format had a very personal touch and soon developed into one of the audience favorites. In 2004, the program BTV4U Morgenmuffel achieved 2nd place in the media prize of the State Office for Communication Baden-Württemberg (LfK) in the television entertainment category.

Formats from February 2004 (BTV4U)

After several complaints and advertisements against the broadcaster BTV4U and the expansion of its call-in competitions were received in the late autumn of 2003, the broadcaster's owner Thomas Hornauer announced on December 16 that he would be introducing other formats again in 2004 and called for the establishment of a voluntary self-regulation for call-in formats. After a house search by the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office on December 22, 2003, Thomas Hornauer decided in January 2004 to completely abandon the call-in competition shows, to focus on the country and to develop new interactive formats.

As of February 16, 2004, there were numerous changes in the BTV4U program: As part of the “BTV4U Newsoffensive” to strengthen the connection to the country, the news program News4U has now been expanded into a large 30-minute live news show. For this purpose, she received a large new three-color set with three presenters (news, sports, events or celebrities) in Studio 9 and was now broadcast live for the first time (Monday to Friday) from 6.45pm to 7.15pm. It was repeatedly News4U always at 23 o'clock and at 9 am the next morning. In addition, there was now short news every hour on the hour during the day (2 p.m. to 6 p.m.).

The regional hands-on talk Citizens' Forum was also expanded from 40 to 60 minutes and broadcast Monday through Friday at 7.15 p.m.

The successful interactive improvisation morning show BTV4U Morgenmuffel also remained in the program. Like all BTV4U broadcasts, however, it was integrated under the new umbrella brand fresh4u from November 1, 2004 , renamed fresh4U am Morgen and also heavily rebuilt. The new program was moderated by ex-morning grouch Holger Laser and ex-call-in competition host Angela Kersten live from the station's glass foyer. The concept was a similar improvisation format as the BTV4U Morgenmuffel and contained similar elements, but it shouldn't seem so trashy and therefore contained less backstage insights. The intention was to "get up with Angela and Holger". The ambiguous, teasing and intersex bickering between the two moderators was particularly exciting.

In order to have alternatives to the discontinued competition shows, numerous new interactive show formats were developed and tested between mid-January and mid-February. Most of them didn't get beyond individual pilot and test broadcasts.

A set of the card reading program Zukunft à la Carte in Studio 9 of BTV4U

From February 16, 2004 to December 31, 2004, the station therefore focused very strongly on the already proven esoteric counseling. The programs Astrofon and Future à la Carte were significantly expanded, equipped with additional astrologers, card readers and fortune tellers, and additional chargeable telephone numbers and esoteric hotlines were set up and advertised more and more. As of November 1, 2004, the programs Astrofon and Future à la Carte were integrated under the new umbrella brand fresh4u and renamed fresh4U Blick in die Sterne (astrologers) and fresh4U Blick in die Zukunft ( cartelists and clairvoyants).

There was a special feature during the night from midnight to 2 am: the broadcaster had announced that it would no longer broadcast any competition shows from February 16, 2004. But since he had already entered into a cooperation with the broadcaster NBC Europe in autumn 2003 , which provided for the takeover of the BTV4U night program from midnight to 2 a.m. from February 1, 2004, a competition show was produced and broadcast at this time until the end of March. From February to December 2004, NBC Europe took over BTV4U's night programming daily from midnight to 2 a.m. The interactive chat program BTV4U chat_stream was broadcast at this time , from February 16 the call-in competition show Club der Winners and from April 1 Future Late Night . (Identical in terms of content to the programs Astrofon and Future à la Carte , alternating fortune tellers, astrologers and other fortune tellers.)

Even after BTV4U ceased broadcasting on December 31, 2004, NBC Europe continued to take over the fresh4U program until October 10, 2005 from midnight to 2 a.m., as well as at different broadcast times on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. From October 11, 2005 to January 31, 2006, the station Das Vierte took over the fresh4U program at the same times. Only the programs fresh4U Blick in die Sterne and fresh4U Blick in die Zukunft were broadcast here.

Criticism of BTV4U

Already at the end of 2003 there were several advertisements by viewers because of the call-in competition shows, which ended in a house search of the transmitter's premises on December 22, 2003 on suspicion of criminal advertising. In January 2010, however, the Stuttgart Regional Court ultimately refused to open the main proceedings “for formal legal reasons” because the public prosecutor's office had dealt with the case until it was time-barred.

Criticism by the churches of the high astrology share of the station had already existed in B.TV. After the takeover by Thomas Hornauer, who was repeatedly said to have connections to the Likatier tribe in media reports and who wanted to continue to use esoteric call-in formats, criticism intensified, especially from the churches in Baden-Württemberg. The churches described the station as "anti-Christian" and especially the manager of the Evangelical Broadcasting Service in Baden , Hanno Gerwin , criticized the station sharply several times.

License withdrawal

When the license was to be extended for the first time in February 2004, the owner Hornauer promised to focus on the country. In order to guarantee a higher quality program, news and sports editors were hired and the news formats expanded. The LfK then extended the license for a limited period and with conditions until December 2004. In order to compensate for the now lost revenue from the call-in competition shows, they were replaced by esoteric call-in formats, which further intensified the criticism of the churches .

In mid-2004, the LfK revoked the extension of the broadcast license after BTV4U had violated the license conditions several times. Reasons for this were, among other things, Hornauer's massive influence on the editorial team and program and the lack of a youth protection officer . Since the takeover of Hornauer, some employees of the station complained about “sect-like” conditions.

After the administrative court in Stuttgart had rejected an urgent application from BTV4U, the station was removed from the cable network on December 31, 2004 by the cable network operator Kabel BW in Baden-Württemberg .

Successor sender

The shutdown of BTV4U cleared the way for the family broadcaster BW Family.tv , known as the new state broadcaster , which has been on the air since February 15, 2006 and is mainly operated by the Evangelical Churches in Württemberg and Baden, under the management of Hanno Gerwin . In contrast to BTV4U, BW Family.tv should be calmer, more serious, value-oriented and more Christian. Continuous advertising and call-in formats are also offered on BW Family.tv, but now advertised less heavily and no longer for esoteric and erotic, but for religion, jewelry and Christian products.

BTV4U has been operating under the name fresh4U since November 2004 and also under primetime.tv from the beginning of 2005 . Esoteric and astro programs were broadcast there. There was no live consultation at primetime.tv because the station was only classified as a media service. In order to be able to show live consultations in Baden-Württemberg despite the lack of a broadcast license for a full program, Hornauer founded Kanal Telemedial Privatrundfunk GmbH in Austria. From this company emerged the Europe-wide receivable television station Kanal Telemedial , which also included the fresh4u brand . Kanal Telemedial broadcast 24 hours a day between May 1, 2007 and July 31, 2008, 8 hours of which live, digitally and analogously via Astra on the frequency of the children's channel after it had closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. In 2007, the program was gradually expanded to include more live consultation hours and new programs. In 2008 the Telemedial channel was converted into a “fair, free PAY TV channel” and viewers were asked for donations (called energy compensation). Since the station did not comply with the requirements of the Austrian state media authorities, its license was withdrawn in mid-2008. On June 30, 2008, the station left the premises in Ludwigsburg.

Since June 2009 Kanal Telemedial can be received again as a live stream on the Internet. Since February 2010 the Telemedial channel has also been available as a YouTube channel.

Trivia about the Astra satellite dish

When Thomas Hornauer and his station Kanal Telemedial left the premises and the halls in Ludwigsburg in 2008, the entire interior and technology had to be removed and removed. However, since it was not possible to remove the large analog Astra satellite dish on the studio parking lot, it remained in Ludwigsburg and is still owned by Thomas Hornauer to this day.

In September 2013, Thomas Hornauer had the coat of arms of his kingdom and his name put on the satellite dish in large letters. In self-produced Internet videos from September and October 2013, he explained that the satellite dish had been without a power supply for a number of years and that no recommissioning was currently planned for financial and technical reasons. The Telemedial headquarters are in Plüderhausen, but the Telemedial Center is still in Ludwigsburg.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The head of the broadcaster Bernd Schumacher has come up with a new family name for his TV chain , Kress Mediendienst , September 29, 1997.
  2. ↑ B.TV Württemberg note loop for the opening of the studio and the start of broadcasting , B.TV, June 2003 (on YouTube)
  3. ^ ARD negotiates with regional broadcaster BTV Württemberg , Horizont , February 3, 1998.
  4. ↑ The broadcaster B.TV gave in in the dispute with the SWR and for the time being renounced the title Landessender Baden-Württemberg , Kress Mediendienst, August 17, 2000.
  5. ↑ Article about the planned Astra broadcasting start of B.TV , Horizont, July 13, 2000
  6. ↑ Recording of the start of B.TV broadcast on Astra on July 17, 2000 at 6 p.m. and B.TV Aktuell report on it ( memento of March 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), B.TV, July 17, 2000 (on YouTube).
  7. ↑ B.TV distribution - technical data, on the B.TV website ( Memento from June 14, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ^ B.TV distribution in Baden-Württemberg, on the B.TV website ( Memento from December 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Article about the award of the Astra transponder for a nationwide TV program , Horizont, June 23, 2000.
  10. ↑ Revolutionary in sneakers - the former presenter Bernd Schumacher bought a television station - now he wants to turn B.TV into a private ARD , Die Welt , April 20, 2001.
  11. ↑ Article about B.TV licensing in North Rhine-Westphalia , Horizont, October 31, 2001.
  12. ↑ No license, no money: The end for B.TV? , DWDL.de , July 26, 2002.
  13. ↑ Press release "Approval for Rhein-Main TV" from the Hessian State Authority for Private Broadcasting ( Memento of November 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), April 8, 2002.
  14. ↑ B.TV boss Bernd Schumacher wants to buy into the local channels of the Kirch group , Kress Mediendienst, March 14, 2002.
  15. ^ Downfall of a television studio: No more Gaga in Ludwigsburg, in the Stuttgarter Zeitung of June 27, 2008 ( Memento of June 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  16. ↑ a b c d "Volles Programm bei B.TV" advertisement, approx. April 2002.
  17. ^ Register information B.TV of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
  18. ↑ Register information B.TV logo of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
  19. ^ Register information B.TV bavaria of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) .
  20. ^ Register information B.TV Hessen of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) .
  21. ^ Register information B. TV Niedersachsen of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) .
  22. ↑ Press release BTV4U of March 2, 2003 ( Memento of December 11, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  23. ↑ Register information BTV4U of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
  24. ↑ Register information fresh 4U of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
  25. ↑ Press release of the Commission to determine the concentration in the media sector (KEK) ( Memento of December 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), August 16, 2000.
  26. ↑ Press release of the Commission to determine the concentration in the media sector (KEK) ( Memento of December 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), April 16, 2002.
  27. ↑ Article on Kinowelt Medien AG's bankruptcy petition , Handelsblatt , December 19, 2001.
  28. ↑ Press release of the State Office for Communication of July 31, 2002 ( Memento of August 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  29. ↑ Press release of the Commission to determine the concentration in the media sector (KEK) ( Memento of December 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), March 12, 2003.
  30. ↑ a b Article about the station name by Thomas Nornauer , Handelsblatt, January 22, 2003.
  31. ↑ a b Fresh Warriors for Thomas Hornauer , Kress Mediendienst, April 2, 2003
  32. ↑ a b c btv4u - Andreas Hocewar , Kress Mediendienst, January 16, 2004 gets the full program
  33. ^ Hornauers Mann , Kress Mediendienst, July 15, 2004
  34. ^ BTV4U - It's getting more and more laughable , Kress Mediendienst, July 22, 2004
  35. ↑ a b Hornauer - He can't stop , Kress Mediendienst, August 3, 2004
  36. ↑ Press release BTV4U of July 21, 2005 ( Memento of July 25, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  37. ^ Tension at B.TV , Kress Mediendienst, March 17, 2003
  38. ↑ A “competence team” should fix it at B.TV , Kress Mediendienst, March 20, 2003
  39. ↑ a b Stephan Mattukat comes from Neun Live , Kress Mediendienst, May 27, 2003
  40. ↑ Article on Kinowelt's participation in B.TV , Handelsblatt, June 28, 2000.
  41. ↑ Detailed format descriptions on the B.TV website ( Memento from June 4, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  42. ↑ Format description from B.TV Aktuell on the B.TV website ( Memento from October 20, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  43. ↑ Article about the interim injunction of the SWR against B.TV Aktuell ( memento of September 18, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ), Netzeitung , March 26, 2001
  44. ↑ Format description by Bernie & Co. on the B.TV website ( Memento from October 20, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  45. ↑ Format description Astrofon on the B.TV website ( Memento from October 20, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  46. ↑ Website of the BTV4U Astrofon ( Memento from October 24, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  47. ↑ Website of the B.TV Rave Party - incl. Photo galleries ( Memento from February 7, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  48. ^ Format description of the rave party on the B.TV website ( Memento from December 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  49. ↑ Excerpt from B.TV Rave Party with Woody van Eyden , B.TV, March 2, 2002 (on YouTube).
  50. ↑ B.TV Rave Party Channel in the Telemedial Streaming Portal ( Memento of the original from March 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cdn.livestream.com
  51. ↑ Compilation of excerpts from B.TV Sternstunde , B.TV (on YouTube)
  52. ↑ Website of the show B.TV Sternstunde - including photo galleries ( Memento from December 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  53. ↑ Website of B.TV Musikparadies - including photo galleries ( Memento from October 26, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  54. ↑ Schlagergruß on the website of BTV4U ( Memento from June 7, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  55. ↑ The competition accuses B.TV boss Bernd Schumacher of quoted quotas , Kress Mediendienst, June 27, 2001.
  56. ↑ In Teufels Küche , Kress Mediendienst, November 20, 1998
  57. ↑ Format description of the broadcast Prime Minister Erwin Teufel exclusively on the B.TV website ( Memento from December 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive )
  58. ↑ The ex-government spokesman Otto Hauser goes in front of the camera for Lau , Kress Mediendienst, July 31, 2000.
  59. ^ Ewald B. Schulte: Pole position for Bernd Schumacher. In: Berliner Zeitung . May 14, 2003, accessed September 11, 2015 .
  60. ↑ Article on B.TV's application for insolvency , Handelsblatt, July 31, 2002
  61. ^ License on trial: Sex producer Hornauer is allowed to continue broadcasting , Die Welt, April 9, 2003.
  62. ↑ The 200 employees of the insolvent metropolitan area broadcaster B.TV , Kress Mediendienst, December 16, 2002 , have received their termination
  63. ↑ Thomas Hornauer ate a fool on regional television, Kress Mediendienst, March 3, 2003.
  64. ^ B-TV successor: On April 6, BTV4 goes on air , DWDL.de, March 3, 2003.
  65. ↑ Press release BTV4U of March 2, 2003 ( Memento of June 29, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  66. ↑ Thomas Hornauer motivates the B.TV employees , B.TV, February 18, 2003 (on YouTube).
  67. ↑ B.TV boss Thomas Hornauer and editor-in-chief Michael Lindenau , Kress Mediendienst, February 24, 2003 came into conflict.
  68. ↑ I want warriors , Der Spiegel, March 10, 2003.
  69. ↑ Overflowing end fax machine at kress.de , Kress media service, February 27 of 2003.
  70. ↑ Press release BTV4U of April 2, 2003 ( Memento of June 24, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  71. ↑ 9Live fails again with lawsuit against BTV4U , DWDL.de, 23 September 2003
  72. ↑ Eye test on the BTV4U website ( Memento from August 21, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  73. ↑ Glücklicht on the BTV4U website ( Memento from July 27, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  74. ↑ Rätselieber on the BTV4U website ( Memento from January 1, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  75. ↑ Nightquiz on the BTV4U website ( Memento from August 21, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  76. ↑ Future à la carte on the BTV4U website ( Memento from October 25, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  77. ↑ The Citizens' Forum on the BTV4U website ( Memento from April 13, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  78. ↑ The Sports Citizens' Forum on the BTV4U website ( Memento from October 25, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  79. ↑ Music4U on the BTV4U website ( Memento from July 22, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  80. ↑ Rock4U on the BTV4U website ( Memento from July 20, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  81. ↑ Alternative4U on the BTV4U website ( Memento from July 18, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  82. ↑ HipHop4U on the BTV4U website ( Memento from July 20, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
  83. ↑ chat_stream on the BTV4U website ( Memento from January 1, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  84. ^ Die Morgengruffel on the BTV4U website ( Memento from February 25, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  85. ↑ Guest list of the BTV4U Morgenmuffel on the BTV4U website ( Memento from October 25, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  86. ↑ Advertising trailer for the BTV4U Morgenmuffel on the BTV4U website ( Memento from May 14, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  87. ↑ The morning grouch on the BTV4U website - now with the new moderators ( Memento from October 25, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  88. ↑ The BTV4U morning grouch at the Internet Movie Database .
  89. ↑ Press release BTV4U of March 11, 2004 ( Memento of June 22, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  90. ^ Program offensive from Plüderhausen at BTV 4U , Kress Mediendienst, December 16, 2003
  91. ^ Public prosecutor's office is investigating BTV4U , DWDL.de, December 22, 2003
  92. ↑ Press release BTV4U of January 21, 2004 ( Memento of June 23, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  93. ↑ Press release BTV4U from February 15, 2004 ( Memento from June 24, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  94. ↑ Website fresh4U am Morgen ( Memento from April 19, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  95. ↑ New nightly call-in show at NBC Europe , DWDL.de, February 1, 2004
  96. ↑ Press release BTV4U from February 1, 2004 ( Memento from December 9, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  97. ^ Website of the Club of Winners ( Memento from February 19, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  98. ^ Box "Reception" on the fresh4u website ( Memento from June 19, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  99. ^ Box "Reception" on the fresh4u website ( Memento from October 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  100. ^ Search of the regional broadcaster BTV ( memento of January 2, 2004 in the Internet Archive ), Netzeitung , December 22, 2003.
  101. ^ No trial - triumph for TV guru Hornauer ( memento from August 19, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), Stuttgarter Nachrichten , January 30, 2010.
  102. ↑ Provinz-Zunder - Hornauer, BTV4 and the decline of the regional, in epd medien No. 28 of April 12, 2003 ( Memento of March 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  103. ↑ Churches criticize regional broadcaster BTV4U as anti-church, on epd.de ( Memento from October 9, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  104. ↑ Churches in the southwest are boycotting TV broadcaster B-TV bistum-trier.de.
  105. ↑ Press release BTV4U from January 20, 2004 ( Memento from June 22, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  106. ↑ BTV 4U continues to receive only a temporary license , DWDL.de, February 3, 2004
  107. ↑ Churches criticize regional broadcaster BTV4U as anti- church bistum-trier.de.
  108. ↑ No future for the esoteric channel , Die Welt, July 19, 2004
  109. ↑ Bizarr-TV im Aus , taz , July 20, 2004
  110. ↑ Press release of the State Office for Communication of July 16, 2004 ( Memento of February 23, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  111. ↑ Press release of the State Office for Communication of December 21, 2004 ( Memento of August 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  112. ^ TV from Karlsruhe, interview with Hanno Gerwin ka-news.de, December 21, 2005
  113. ↑ Hornauer gives up TV studio ( Memento from March 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), Stuttgarter Zeitung , May 28, 2008.
  114. ↑ KANALTELEMEDIAL on YouTube.
  115. ↑ Thomas Hornauer's video about the labeled Astra satellite dish on YouTube
  116. ↑ Thomas Hornauer's video interview about the future of the Astra satellite dish on YouTube.

swell

  • Advertising leaflet “Full program at B.TV”, approx. April 2002 (shown on the BTV-Merchandising.jpg photo above and in the Wikimedia Commons.)
  • Advertising video from B.TV-Vertriebs “B.TV A German Television Network”, approx. 5 minutes, approx. 2001 (publication on the Internet not possible for copyright reasons.)
  • Extensive own video recordings of the B.TV and BTV4U programs between March 2002 and December 2004 (publication on the Internet not possible for copyright reasons.)

Web links