The ARD sees the extension of the ZDF-“heute-journal” on Sunday at 30 minutes not the 20 minutes of “daily topics challenged itself” to expand in the First on Sunday to a half-hour. An ARD spokesman said to the daily mirror, with a clear irony: The step of the ZDF “, we can understand very well. Sunday is a sports intensive day and if one acquires, as the ZDF sports rights, you want to show excerpts in the main news broadcasts.“
The ARD program Directorate, stressed the political and societal issues at the core of information-based journalism in the First. “That’s why the week days are for us to news more than the weekend.” Saturday and Sunday would be no plenary meetings would be announced, no rulings and decisions of the highest courts, are hardly press conferences in political Berlin or elsewhere scheduled. For this, the ARD-speaker, there are sports events and cultural events that would support the First but in special broadcasts, or in the “sport show”, and in the cultural magazine “ttt”. “And we with the discussion ,Anne ‘ on Sunday night, the new parliamentary week prior to Want to prepare.”
Audience response on the weekend is higher
The decision not to extend the “issues of the day”, the ARD, in particular, with the news, you no question of the information need and the rates was justified. “The public interest”, said ARD-speaker, “is on the weekend generally higher than on weekdays, because the viewers have more time to watch TV.”