Günter Freund

Günter Freund (born June 14, 1922 in Frankfurt am Main ; † August 29, 2010 in Stuttgart ) was a German radio announcer and radio presenter. He worked for the former Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) for over 40 years and was one of the most popular radio presenters of his time.

Life

In the four decades between 1947 and 1987, Günter Freund presented numerous entertainment programs for Süddeutscher Rundfunk, which has since been absorbed by SWR . His trademark became the legendary farewell at the end of each broadcast with the closing phrase “With friendly greetings”.

Some of his programs achieved cult status, such as the “Schlagerskala”, which Günter Freund presented for the period of 23 years every Monday evening shortly before 8 p.m. in the radio programs SDR 1 and SDR 3 and thus regularly reached hundreds of thousands of regular listeners. The programs “Oldies but Goldies”, “You wish, we play” and the “Popular Hit Parade” were equally popular. In the program “Kochkunstklause”, Günter Freund invited well-known chefs into the studio and was able to combine his second great passion, cooking, with his job in an ideal way. According to his own statement, a highlight of his career was his moderation at the 1972 Olympic Games for the SDR.

On the side, Günter Freund worked as a local editor and regularly published his column “Unter uns Said” in the Stuttgarter Nachrichten with interviews with prominent Stuttgart visitors, such as B. Peter Alexander , Count Basie , Juliette Gréco or Emerson Fittipaldi . At fashion shows , galas and large events, he appeared as a presenter and conférencier , e. B. at the world championship of hairdressers, at the Intergastra trade fair or at Holiday on Ice .

From 1961 on, Günter Freund moderated the magazine of the Bund der Kriegsblinden Deutschlands without a fee and spoke for the Süddeutsche Blindenhörbücherei in Stuttgart (which no longer existed in 2004) 240 books for the blind on tape. For his decades of voluntary work , he was first awarded the Golden Medal of Honor of the Association of the War Blind and in 1987 the Federal Cross of Merit. It was presented to him by the then Baden-Württemberg State Secretary Matthias Kleinert .

In 1969, Günter Freund was the first to receive the Golden Microphone from the oldest civic association in the west of Stuttgart, the Gesellschaft Zigeunerinsel Stuttgart 1910 eV , in recognition of outstanding achievements in theater, film, radio and television. Freund remained connected to this carnival society throughout his life and appeared regularly as a laudator for subsequent award winners.

In 1988 Günter Freund left the SDR and worked for several years at the newly founded private radio station Radio 7 in Ulm . At the time, he was one of the first presenters to switch from a public broadcaster to private radio . At Radio 7, Freund presented the four-hour program “Rondell” twice a week in the mornings and occasionally the request concert “You make music” on Sundays.

After more than 40 years as a radio presenter, Günter Freund wrote his autobiography with the title Mit Freund-lichen Grüße. 40 years at the microphone , published in 1988 by Bleicher Verlag . Even in retirement, he continued to write travel and cookbooks. In 1989, Matthaes Verlag also published an English version of its successful Swabian cookery book with recipes for 66 typical Swabian dishes.

At the culinary competitions of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs gourmet guild , Günter Freund wrote the final “menu discussions” until 2005 and gave the laudatory speech for the winner. Sometimes he also actively participated as a juror in the guild's cooking competitions.

At the age of 85, Günter Freund continued to work with great joy until 2007 every Saturday morning for five hours as the presenter of a music program on the private local broadcaster Radio Neckarburg in the Rottweil district .

Günter Freund lived with his wife Hildegard ("Gardy") in Asemwald . With her he toured over 90 countries. In May 2008 the couple celebrated their diamond wedding . Gardy Freund died less than a year later in March 2009. The marriage had remained childless. Günter Freund died in October 2010 after a short illness at the age of 88 and found his final resting place in the forest cemetery in Stuttgart .

Freund's broadcasts on SDR

• "Hit scale"
• "You wish we play"
• "Oldies but Goldies"
• "The clock radio"
• "Swing souvenirs"
• "In a good mood for the weekend"
• "Music market Stuttgart 3"
• "Popular hit parade"
• "Note carousel"
• "Kochkunstklause"
• "Record Review"
• "Prohibited parking"

Honors

• Golden microphone of the Gesellschaft Zigeunerinsel Stuttgart 1910 eV (1st microphone carrier, 1969)
• Gold Medal of Honor of the Association of War Blind in Germany (before 1986)
• Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon (May 11, 1987)

Publications

• Guests in the Kochkunstklause. 50 master chefs from Baden-Württemberg; their domicile, their recipes, their kitchen secrets ., Idea, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 978-3-92241-103-1 [1]
• Günter Freunds Schwäbisches Kochbüchle ., Matthaes Verlag , Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 978-3-87516-064-2 [2]
• ... with kind regards [40 years at the microphone] ., (autobiography), Bleicher, Gerlingen 1988, ISBN 978-3-88350-309-7 [3]
• Günter Freund's Swabian Cookery Book [English edition]. Günter Freund's Swabian cookbook ., Matthaes, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 978-3-87516-097-0 [4]
• The desire to travel. From humans and animals all over the world ., Paperback, Consens, Stuttgart-Botnang 1993, ISBN 978-3-92672-923-1 [5]
• Notes that life wrote, cheerful and contemplative ., Nora, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-86557-100-7 [6]

Web links

• Data about Günter Freund on sdr3-history.de
• Photo of Günter Freund with a stack of phone messages on sdr3-history.de
• Entry on Günter Freund in the necrology of the Munzinger archive

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} One of the most beautiful voices of the south , article by Uwe Bogen , Stuttgarter Zeitung of September 4, 2010, .pdf on sdr3-history.de, accessed on December 9, 2015
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Jenni Roth : Sometimes I also play hip-hop . In: Stuttgarter Zeitung on uhini.com . June 12, 2007. Accessed December 9, 2015.
3. ^ ^{A b} Günter Freund: With friendly greetings. 40 years at the microphone , Bleicher, Gerlingen 1988, pp. 171 and 172
4. ^ Günter Freund: Günter Freunds Schwäbisches Kochbüchle , Matthaes Verlag , Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-87516-064-9 , foreword on p. 10
5. ↑ Günter Freund: With kind regards. 40 years at the microphone , Bleicher, Gerlingen, 1988, pp. 170 and 171 (photo)
6. ↑ Günter Freund in the list of microphone carriers , homepage of the Gesellschaft Zigeunerinsel Stuttgart 1910 eV, zigeunerinsel.de, accessed on December 9, 2015
7. ^ Recording of an announcement by Günter Freund on Radio 7 on fm.kompakt.de (penultimate post on the page), accessed on December 9, 2015
8. ↑ Report The Chaîne chose its best , print edition No. 2003/10 of the Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung (AHGZ) , March 8, 2003, accessed on December 9, 2015
9. ↑ Information from the Federal President's Office