Farewell show for stimulus format Good humor with fee money - how SRF celebrated "Faces & Stories"

Before Swiss television SRF pulls the plug on the TV show "Faces & Stories", it dedicates a "Gipfelstürmer Special" to its people format. A bittersweet affair.

To say that "Glanz & Gloria" (or "Gesichter & Geschichten", as it is now called) is a controversial format only does it marginal justice.

The people magazine is a real thorn in the side of many and is always mentioned first in comment columns in an unpleasant way when it comes to where SRF should save fee money.

So now this section of the audience is getting its way. In three months, after 20 years, it will be over.

Swiss television SRF took this anniversary as an opportunity to produce a "Gipfelstürmer Special" with highlights from two decades of "G&G" - a somewhat strange mixture of homage and swan song, if we may say so.

From Christa Rigozzi to Irina Beller

However, presenter Stefan Büsser did his best to keep the atmosphere cheerful and sparkling in the best "G&G" tradition.

His guests - including former presenters such as Nadja Zimmermann, Christa Rigozzi and Irina Beller - did not make long faces either and looked back with humor on their memorable appearances in "G&G" contributions.

These included the legendary champagne interview of the Ukrainian millionaire's wife on Dani Fohrler's sofa - or the wedding of the former Miss Switzerland from Ticino, where the SRF cameras were always allowed to be close up even in moments of the greatest intimacy.

Many other "G&G" reports also caused a stir at the time. For example, the lousy geography skills of future Miss Switzerland Linda Fäh, who didn't know the Matterhorn - or the agonized squealing pig during the commercial shoot with Mister Switzerland Renzo Blumenthal.

But the people format, as the reviews showed, also repeatedly provided emotionally profound scenes; for example with the interview of former Federal Councillor Adolf Ogi in his home village of Kandersteg, when he spoke about the death of his son from cancer.

From "Ich oder Du" to "Frey von Sinnen"

Ultimately, the hit parade of highlights made it clear just how diverse and colorful these 20 years of celebrity reporting on SRF have been.

Broadcasts such as "Ich oder Du", "Frey von Sinnen" or "Die Falle" may have been copied from other TV shows, but thanks to their creative implementation and the obvious enjoyment of all those involved - both in front of and behind the camera - they always provided the best entertainment.

However, yesterday's review show also provided explanations as to why "G&G" has always been so polarizing. The boundaries between self-presentation and entertainment are necessarily fluid in a people format. That doesn't suit everyone.

And when SRF employees fly to the Oscars in Hollywood with license fee money, it doesn't go down well everywhere in times of economic constraints.

Bittersweet homage to a wonderfully naive era

Ultimately, "G&G" and its ending stand for a bygone era when celebrities needed shows like "Glanz und Gloria" and show stars and the media fueled each other.

While stars today communicate directly with their audience via social media, and influencers have overtaken models and models, the interaction between celebrities and the media worked for both sides back then.

That seems to be over today. Just like a certain innocence, when not every word was weighed in the balance and having fun was more important than having the right attitude.

If rapper Stress answered the question about the secret of a good marriage as freely today ("25 centimetres") as he did in the "G&G" article back then, he would probably have a shitstorm on his hands.

It's therefore quite possible that "G&G" will be missed by more people after its end of broadcast in the summer than people think today.

Perhaps even by some of those who have always so heartily wished the format into the land of pepper in the commentary columns.

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