Helmut Hansen

Helmut Hansen (born September 27, 1920 in Hamburg ; † September 8, 2011 in Hanau ) was the longstanding chief spokesman of the Hessischer Rundfunk (hr) and moderator of the broadcast ARD-Nachtexpress , which he shaped significantly. According to Hansen's idea, the night program should be designed like a moving train. So he used the sound of a steam locomotive as a "lead story " and made announcements like: "Now, dear night listeners, we have reached the two-thirty station!" Hansen moderated the program between July 6, 1959 and May 5. July 1984 a total of 764 times from Studio H of the Hessischer Rundfunk, whereby most of the Hansen programs were musically designed by Fred Gräfe . In the night program from July 4th to 5th, 1984 - an anniversary broadcast to mark the 25th anniversary of the joint ARD night program - Hansen said goodbye with a last trip through the night. In 1985, Hansen ended his role as a moderator and handed over his position as chief speaker of the hr to Hermann Dreher .

In his career as a moderator, Hansen was only occasionally active as an author, for example in 1951 with the contribution “The Ink Pot of the Wetterau ”, in which he presented the history of Munzenberg Castle . In addition to his work at hr, he mainly worked for the night express. Hansen's well-groomed and polished choice of words, the reliable integration of poems in his presentations and a constantly available timetable gave each program a special touch. Texts by Erich Kästner , Joachim Ringelnatz , Fred Endrikat , Heinrich Heine , Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty , Kurt Tucholsky , Mascha Kaléko and others turned the trip on the night express into a poetic journey of discovery.

From 1950 until his death, Hansen lived in Hanau with his wife Ursula .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Obituary. In: Hanauer Anzeiger . September 12, 2011.
2. ↑ Hoerbar Night Express Helmut Hansen. Retrieved July 17, 2018 .