Frank Plasberg (65) invited again on November 14 to talk to “hard but fair”. After around 22 years, the presenter led the ARD political talk for the last time on Monday evening.
Plasberg’s last show focused on the football World Cup in Qatar – “definitely the most controversial World Cup of all time,” as DFB media director Steffen Simon (57), who was invited as a guest, said. In addition to this, the moderator welcomed the former professional soccer player Tuğba Tekkal (37), ex-national player Thomas Hitzlsperger (40) and Willi Lemke (76), including ex-manager of SV Werder Bremen, in the studio. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (52) was also involved.
After a lively discussion and Plasberg’s usual sovereign moderation – even if he had “no idea about football” – his last minutes at “hard but fair” came after a little more than an hour. Some viewers also had comments to make. “Not always hard, but always fair,” said one and regretted the moderator’s end.
Louis Klamroth (33), Plasberg’s successor from January 9, 2023, was then seen. “Very impressive” his colleague led the show for 22 years, but now he has to relinquish control. “Frank, a man of the clear edge” was seen in an entertaining look back at the past two decades. Plasberg had led through almost 750 broadcasts.
It was already known in August that Klamroth would take over. “When you’ve traveled with a program for so long, you also want it to develop further, and now is the right time for that,” Plasberg was quoted as saying in a press release at the time. He was “still enthusiastic on Monday evenings – as a spectator”.
Numerous team members gathered behind Plasberg to say goodbye. The list of people he has to thank, including this group and the viewers in the studio and in front of the TV sets, is long. Plasberg also got a last handover to Caren Miosga (53) from the “daily topics”, who “look so sad”. It was “a nice day” for him. She “must definitely say thank you […]. Thank you for your often unpunctual but nevertheless so cheerful handover to the daily topics.”
The best advice the moderator received came from a professor who had been a guest on the show several times and which he received from his wife: “Always wear light-colored clothes and smell good. I’ll do it, stay clean.” With a simple final “Bye” the “hard but fair” era Plasberg was then TV history.
