Talk show
“Sensible piece of democracy” – Bettina Böttinger’s farewell
Bettina Böttinger says goodbye to the “Kölner Treff” in a good mood. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
The “Kölner Treff” will still be on WDR television, but no longer with Bettina Böttinger as host. On Friday a group of celebrities celebrated their farewell.
Talking to each other, getting to know new ways of life and ways of life, having fun together – that was something that, in addition to entertainment, also made a lot of sense, said Böttinger. At the end of her broadcast, she said with regard to the terrorist attacks on Israel and anti-Semitic incidents in this country: “I wish that no Jew in this country has to be afraid.” Jewish life belongs to Germany, “just as we want to live together with Palestinians who live peacefully here with us,” she said.
Guests at the farewell broadcast on Friday included, among others, the singer Herbert Grönemeyer, the fashion designer Guido Maria Kretschmer and the comedian Annette Frier. There was a lot of chatting as usual, but also saying goodbye. The Cologne cult band Brings played “Superjeilezick,” and Frier jokingly presented Böttinger with a “TV Award To Go.” “The big lady of the “Kölner Treff” clocks out,” said comedian Torsten Sträter. Celebrities and companions sang together in a video message a variation of Hildegard Knef’s “For me it should rain red roses” with the lines: “We were happy to meet you.”
In clips, Böttinger looked back on 30 years on television – that’s how long she had been talking on Friday evenings on WDR, initially in the program “B.treff…”. She held discussions with almost 5,000 guests. But Böttinger isn’t turning her back on television completely: a season of her new show “Böttinger. Wohnung 17” has been filmed. She is also planning a podcast and will continue to produce “Kölner Treff” with her production company.
WDR announced on Saturday that the upcoming “Kölner Treff” programs would be “moderated by our proven moderation duo Susan Link and Micky Beisenherz.”