Greetings suddenly different Tagesschau says goodbye to a decades-old tradition

The German news program Tagesschau is changing its greeting formula and dispensing with the traditional form of address. The decision is based on viewer requests for a more accessible form of address.

For over 70 years, the German Tagesschau has started its main news program at 8 p.m. with the traditional greeting "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the Tagesschau".

But this era is now over. From November 20, 2024, the show will open with a new formula: "Good evening, I welcome you to the Tagesschau".

This change has been confirmed by NDR and is based on the results of a qualitative viewer survey. Viewers wanted a more authentic and accessible address, as the broadcaster explained to Bild. In future, the speaker texts are to be based more on the spoken word and less on formal written language.

Decades of tradition to be dropped

In June 2024, ARD had already expanded the Tagesschau to include an edition in plain language. This service is aimed at people who have difficulties with reading and writing. Marcus Bornheim, the first editor-in-chief of ARD-aktuell, emphasized to dpa at the time that this initiative was aimed at making the news more understandable for a broader audience.

The NDR spokesperson was unable to say how long the "ladies and gentlemen" had been part of the greeting. In a Tagesschau recording from 1960, for example, the announcer at the time, Karl-Heinz Köpcke, also known as "Mr. Tagesschau", simply said "Good evening".

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