why daily soaps so often are launch pads for fantastic careers · slinky dog; teletubbies as tinky...

Luxembourg Guillaume de Posch appointed new member of RTL Group’s Executive Committee Belgium Philippe Delusinne calls on European policy makers

Germany RTL II reorganises its online ad sales Luxembourg The Simpsons learn to speak Luxembourgish

week 51

22 December 2011

From soap to stardomWhy daily soaps so often are launch pads for fantastic careers

the RTL Group intranetweek 51

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FremantleMedia is known not only for major blockbuster shows like Idols, Got Talent and X Factor that attract millions of viewers to screens around the world, but also for its place in the series business, as the producer of leading daily soaps in Europe and Australia. Not only is the production of a daily series very sophisticated and challenging for both crew and cast, they are in fact a breeding ground for up-and-coming stars, as a retrospective of the history of soaps and their cast members shows. Many stars have become world-famous thanks to the things they went on to do after the soaps, but even lesser known names have faces that are famous the world over.

Dietrich Leder, Professor of Television Culture at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, says actors of daily soaps have learned to exploit their recognition value, as they are constant guests in the houses and apartments of their usually youthful viewers: “If an actor appears in a major block-office production outside the daily soap in which they rose to fame, or if they produce a music title, then they are ensured a high level of attention to begin with. If their performance in the film, or the music title, fulfils the fans’ expectations, this attention turns into recognition or even enthusiasm. If they can then corroborate this performance in follow-up movies and records, their path to stardom is paved.”

Kylie Minogue began her acting career at a young age, but it wasn’t until her portrayal of the character Charlene on Neighbours that her rise to international stardom began. She played the role from 1986 to 1988. In 1987, Minogue performed

the song The Locomotion at a charity benefit and was signed by a record label. Since her debut in the music industry, her worldwide record sales have soared to over 68 million units, with over 20 consecutive top ten hits in the UK. Her music success won her international recognition and a long list of awards, including six nominations at the ‘Brit Awards’ for Best International Female, an Award she won in 2002. She performed in front of over four million people at the closing ceremony of the 2000 summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, and has four wax replicas of herself at Madame Tussaud’s in London – only the Queen has had more models created. Today, her music career is alive and well, and she was nominated yet again for Best International Female at the ‘Brit Awards’ in 2011.

Mark Lawson analysed in the Guardian in 2006: “The pop explosion from the soap is not as unlikely as it seems. [The creators of neighbours] Watson and Grundy had achieved an intense connection with the audience that buys records. Young actors in a long-running series would tend, anyway, to dabble in music but, in the case of Neighbours, the hobby became a phenomenon.” Kylie Minogue’s way to the music industry was the first evidence of the most improbable aspect of the success of Neighbours: its power as a celebrity academy. For RTL Group CEO Gerhard Zeiler, there are no secrets behind the mechanism: “Soap stars know how to work hard and they are household names. That can be an ideal launch pad for stardom.” Besides Minogue, her on and off-screen boyfriend, Jason Donovan, also parlayed his Neighbours part into a pop career.

A launch pad for careerBackstage takes a look at how daily soaps turn their cast into world stars.United Kingdom - 22 December 2011

Kylie Minogue


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Jason Donovan played the character of Scott Robinson from 1985 to 1989. The wedding to Charlene Mitchell (played by Kylie Minogue) was watched by more than 19 million viewers on BBC1 in the UK alone. After Neighbours, Jason Donovan excelled in the music business, releasing a single and an album that went to number one on the UK album charts, selling 30 million records. He later appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2006. A DJ for the UK radio station Heart, he was also one of the contestants on the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing in the UK.

Guy Pearce started acting on Neighbours in 1985, aged 17, then went on to the television series Home and Away as well as other film and television programmes. He became a star after

appearing in the role of Adam/Felicia in the hit film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Since then, Guy has risen to international fame, with acting roles in LA Confidential, Best Picture ‘Oscar’-winning film The Hurt Locker and multiple Award-winner and international hit The King’s Speech. In 2011, he won an ‘Emmy Award’ for his supporting role in HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce.

Natalie Imbruglia pursued a singing career after leaving Neighbours, where she was known as Beth Brennan, in 1993. Her version of the song Torn became an international hit in 1997, topping the UK and US charts at number one and selling over seven million copies while she continued working as an actress. Today, she is considered one of VH1’s most popular artists and was a judge on Australia’s X Factor in 2010.

Russell Crowe played the tough Kenny Larkin on Neighbours for four episodes in 1987. Today, he is an acclaimed international film actor with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After Neighbours, Crowe appeared in Australian films such as Romper Stomper before making his mark in the US with roles that have earned him countless international Awards and nominations. He achieved three consecutive ‘Academy Award’ nominations (1999 to 2001) for his roles in The Insider (1999), Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001). He has also appeared in LA Confidential (1997), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2002), and Robin Hood, among others. In 2001 he was awarded the prestigious ‘Australian Centenary Medal’ for his services to the Australian society

Natalie Imbruglia (left) and Scott Michaelson

Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce (from left to right)

Guy Pearce


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and film production, has also been nominated six times for Best Actor by the Australian Film Institute, winning four times. He is also an avid sports fan and the co-owner of an Australian National Rugby League team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Jesse Spencer furthered his acting career in the US after appearing on Neighbours from 1994 to 2000, and is best known today for his role as Dr Robert Chase on the hit US medical drama House. The show is the most popular TV series in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records, and is watched by 81.8 million people in 66 countries.

Soap actors are a regular guest in viewers’ living rooms and have learned what appeals to, interests, and moves their audience. Dietrich Leder says: “They have a lot of things in common with their audiences; other actors can often only attain this special status with difficulty and through a longer filmography.”

Australia’s Neighbours isn’t the only launch pad for successful careers. In Germany, Grundy UFA’s Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (Good Times, Bad Times) also introduced several actresses who are now well known in Germany. Yvonne Catterfeld’s television exposure on the show launched her music career, and helped to make her single Für dich number one on the German, Austrian and Swiss charts. Her first album went Platinum, and she repeated this success with a subsequent single and album, while still appearing in movies and television.

In 2004 she won an ‘Echo Award’ for Best Female Artist National Rock/Pop. She has played in movies and TV productions such as Keinohrhasen, Vulkan and Zweiohrküken and is currently working on her sixth album. In an interview on the occasion of the broadcast of her latest movie Das Mädchen auf dem Meeresgrund, Catterfeld told the German tabloid Bild: “The media don’t really associate soaps with real performance, and many members of the audience also tend to think that anyone can do a soap. But the truth is: you need enormous discipline. The time pressure is much greater than in films, because everything always has to

Jason Donovan and Russel Crowe

Jesse Spencer Yvonne Catterfeld (left) and her colleague Raphaël Vogt


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be finished right away.” Obviously, this is tough, but can also be a good training ground for an great career in show business.

Dietrich Leder has a similar view on this: “Their success is also based on the fact that acting in daily soaps is a very taxing profession that requires – beyond acting skills – great physical and mental presence, along with great discipline and a certain degree of flexibility,” he says. This flexibility is not just needed in the production process, but also in marketing the soap in question. Actors on soaps have learned to promote the product they work on.

Jeanette Biedermann played the role of Marie Balzer in Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten from 1999 to 2005. Music became Biedermann’s top priority after the show. She released an album and single which sold more than 10 million copies, putting her among the highest-selling German singers of today. She has won two ‘Echo Awards’, a ‘Golden Camera’ and a ‘Top of the Pops Award’. She has also since served as a judge on Stars auf Eis (Stars on Ice, in 2003 and 2006) and has starred in various films and dramas including Anna und die Liebe in which she has played the main role of Anna Polauke since 2008.

Alexandra Neldel’s acting career began when she was discovered by a German casting agent

at a polo event. She had been working as a dental assistant, and went on to successfully audition for a role on daily soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten in 1996. After leaving the series in 1999, Neldel appeared in various German films and TV movies including Lammbock, Samba in Mettmann and ‘Emmy’-winning Berlin, Berlin. Neldel took on the leading role of Lisa Plenske in the multi-award-winning Grundy UFA telenovela Verliebt in Berlin, which aired on Sat1. A role for which she won the ‘Rose d’Or’ for Best Actress in a soap in 2006. She remains one of Germany’s favourite actresses.

Jarmo Koski’s voice is famous in Finland; he has been a leading voice actor in a number of international smash hit animated movies including Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third as King

Jeannette Biedermann

Alexandra Neldel (right)

Jarno Koski


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Harold; A Bug’s Life as Heimlich; Winnie the Pooh as Winnie; Toy Story and Toy Story 2 as Slinky Dog; Teletubbies as Tinky Winky and Nick Knatterton. Kaski has played the character of Seppo Talaasmaa in FremantleMedia’s Salatut Elämät (Secret Lives) since 1999.

Jasper Pääkönen’s performance on Salatut Elämät in 1999 marked the beginning of a flourishing acting career. After leaving the show in 2001, he starred in Finnish box-office hits including Paha maa (Frozen Land) and Napapiirin sankarit (Lapland Odyssey). He is most popularly known for his main role in the hit movie Pahat pojat (Bad Boys), for which he was named ‘Best Actor’ at the Brussels Film Festival 2003. Nowadays he is focusing on business, founding Pokerisivut.com, a poker magazine with film producer Markus Selin in 2009. In 2010, Pokerisivut.com was awarded ‘Best Overall Affiliate’ at the London 2010 IGB Affiliate Awards.

Daniele Favilli played a lead role in Italy’s hit drama Un Posto Al Sole, a Grundy Italia production, from 2002 to 2007, and made his mark internationally when he appeared as Grifonetto Baglioni in the UK drama-documentary Raphael: A Mortal God (2004). Today he is an up-and-coming star in the United States, having landed a major part in the movie Mob Rules, which won the ‘SAG Indie Award’ for Best Ensemble Cast, and received a number of nominations. He rose to prominence following an appearance on the hit US TV show Torchwood: Miracle Day, and is currently in production on a modern western feature film called Swelter, along with other TV and film projects in the US and Italy.

Eventually, Dietrich Leder summarizes: “Soap actors know that they need to keep winning over the audience. As a result, no path is too far or too steep on their quest to perhaps becoming a star. And they have also learned how quickly fame can fade – a lesson that happens at the latest when someone is written out of a daily soap.”

Jasper Pääkönen

Daniele Favili (right)


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RTL Group announced the appointment of Guillaume de Posch (53) as Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from 1 January 2012. In this capacity, he will be in charge of the Corporate Strategy and Business Development team at RTL Group’s headquarters and will oversee the company’s broadcasting operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and radio operations in France. Guillaume de Posch will also be member of the RTL Group Executive Committee, alongside Gerhard Zeiler (Chief Executive Officer), Elmar Heggen (Chief Financial Officer and Head of the Corporate Centre) and Andreas Rudas (Executive Vice President Regional Operations & Business Development CEE and Asia).

Gerhard Zeiler, CEO of RTL Group, says: “I am very happy that Guillaume de Posch has decided to join RTL Group in this new function which will be vital to drive RTL Group’s expansion in new businesses and markets. Guillaume has a truly unique expertise in all aspects of the international broadcasting business, combined with a deep understanding of the technological challenges for the media industry in the digital age. I wish Guillaume the best of success in his new position and look forward to a close cooperation.”

Guillaume de Posch says: “I am delighted to join Europe’s number 1 Free-TV broadcasting group, especially as this marks my return to the company in which I first started my broadcasting career in 1993. I am very much looking forward to working with RTL Group’s first-class international management team.”

Guillaume de Posch, born 1958 in Belgium, is one of Europe’s most experienced TV executives. After first jobs at the international energy and services company Tractebel (1985-1990) and the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company (1990-1993), he started his career in the media industry at the Luxembourg-based Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT), which ultimately became RTL Group in the year 2000. At CLT, Guillaume de Posch started as assistant to the Managing Director (1993-1994) and then became Head of CLT’s TV operations in French-speaking countries (1995-1997). From 1997 to 2003, he was Deputy General Manager and Programming Director of the French pay-TV company TPS, before he joined the Munich-based, publicly listed ProSiebenSat1 Media AG in August 2003, first as Chief Operating Officer and then as Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO (2004-2008). Since January 2009, Guillaume de Posch has advised several European and US broadcasters.

Change on RTL Group’s Executive Management TeamGuillaume de Posch appointed new member of the RTL Group Executive Committee.Luxembourg - 20 December 2011Guillaume de Posch


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Following short welcome speeches by Elmar Heggen, Chief Financial Officer of RTL Group and Head of the Corporate Centre, and Andreas Rudas, Executive Vice President Regional Operations & Business Development CEE and Asia, Tun van Rijswijck, Chief Operating Officer of the Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), gave the two eminent guests a guided tour of the BCE’s broadcasting technology and the RTL Lëtzebuerg studios.

Afterwards, Rhys Noelke, RTL Group’s Vice President Business Development, showed Liz Mohn and Gunter Thielen how television is continually evolving in the digital world and is coming available on more and more devices and screens – with better picture quality and new features. Noelke used various RTL Now, M6 Replay and RTL XL applications for tablets and Hybrid TVs to demonstrate how television of the future can already be experienced today – and how RTL Group is helping to shape it.

In closing, Elmar Heggen took the opportunity to present a special prize to Liz Mohn: the Golden Lion of Luxembourg. Heggen said: “We are delighted you took the time to visit the RTL Group headquarter in Luxembourg. We hope that the Luxembourg Lion, once installed in your office, will serve as a steadfast reminder of your visit here with us.”

Liz Mohn was very pleased: “This prize is all the more meaningful because you do such great work here in Luxembourg. Today I was privileged to learn how television is made – and what television will look like in the future. We have every reason to be grateful that we live in these times and that we get to experience so much. I will gladly come back.”

Gunter Thielen said: “RTL Group has changed steadily in recent years. Today we saw once again that everything revolves around content, and the company is adjusting to developments. Television is without a doubt a business with a future.”

Liz Mohn visits RTL GroupLiz Mohn, Chair of the Bertelsmann Verwaltungsgesellschaft, and Gunter Thielen, Chairman of the Bertelsmann AG Supervisory Board, visited RTL Group in Luxembourg.Luxembourg - 19 December 2011

Gunter Thielen, Liz Mohn and Elmar Heggen (from left to right)

Rhys Noelke, Andreas Rudas, Christiane Freund, Francesco Costadura, Gunter Thielen, Liz Mohn, Elmar Heggen,Alexander Glatz, Vincent de Dorlodot, Romain Mannelli, Ursula Schmidt, Alain Berwick, Christian Hauptmann,

Kerstin Froehlich, Caroline Mart, Tun van Rijswijck, Lou Scheider and Jean-Marie Bourhis (from left to right)


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The big day finally arrived for Sarah Cattani (RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg) and Catherine Klein (CLT-UFA), the lucky winners of the quiz featuring the topic of ‘Green food’. Both went to the Margaux, a Michelin-starred restaurant located in Berlin, to embark on a sustainable culinary journey of discovery with Michael Hoffmann.

Together with about ten participants from other Bertelsmann divisions, they were given an insight into the cuisine of the renowned gourmet, who has made a name for himself with his vegetarian menu in particular. High-quality seasonal ingredients, and especially vegetables and herbs grown in his own garden, are the secret behind Hoffmann’s creations.

Homemade vegetable stock serves as the basis for many of Hoffmann’s dishes. All kinds of vegetables are boiled down to make a concentrate which is then used to refine soups and sauces. Our colleagues learned that the vegetable stock is also used, for example, to ensure crispiness in a broiled duck.

Hoffmann showed the participants how to make dishes including a potato soup, golden saffron risotto and the aforementioned duck. They also learned how to expertly fillet line-caught Brittany bass – the celebrity chef doesn’t use net caught fish. Fittingly for the upcoming holiday season Hoffmann also demonstrated how to properly carve a Christmas goose. The bird came from France, where legislation prescribes a more ethical treatment of animals.

The highlight of the evening was a six-course meal. Each course was complemented by a matching wine presented to the winners earlier by the ‘Margaux’ sommelier.

“The menu was very surprising, delicious and promoted simple products such as celery, beet and cabbage coming from Hoffmann’s garden” says Sarah Cattani. Catherine Klein adds: “It was a real sustainable cooking marathon experience which really amazed us”.

‘environMINDquiz’ winners enjoy cooking class at Berlin’s Margaux RestaurantOn the occasion of the fourth ‘environMINDday’ in Luxembourg, RTL Group employees could take part in a quiz to win a cooking class for two with top chef Michael Hoffmann. On 15 December, the happy winners went on a true ‘sustainable’ culinary voyage. Luxembourg - 21 December 2011

Top chef Michael Hoffmann

Top chef Michael Hoffmann and the participants Sarah Cattani and Catherine Klein (left) enjoyed a six-course meal


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Delusinne said that while the commercial broadcasting market is doing well and has not yet reached its full potential he wished to remind leading European policymakers of the industry’s importance in Europe and the risks they face with the arrival of new entrants such as Google and Netflix, whose arrival on the old continent is only a matter of days, or even telephony operators.

“If we want our industry to remain economically and socially important, it will be necessary to regulate the new entrants,” said Delusinne. “They are coming to a market we built by making heavy investments but are not bending to its rules. If they continue not investing in content, creativity or local production and keep on failing to comply with the rules governing copyright and the protection of minors, they will shatter the model and kill off our industry.”

While economic conditions in recent years have not been conducive to the development of advertising markets, Delusinne said the activities of new media have enabled audiovisual players to cope with market volatility and access new sources of revenue such as video on demand or income linked to interactivity.

In the interview, Delusinne emphasised that he wasn’t trying to block the competition, but when asked if they new entrants signed contracts with channels, providing for the payment of broadcasting rights and the sharing of advertising revenue, he replied: “They say they will do that, but only time will tell whether they actually do it.”

“It will be necessary to regulate new entrants”In an interview with the newspaper La Libre Belgique published, Philippe Delusinne, CEO of RTL Belgium and President of the Association of Commercial Television (ACT), calls for more regulation of the sector owing to the arrival of new entrants.Belgium - 19 December 2011

Philippe Delusinne


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The Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland subsidiary IP Deutschland prevailed against over its competitors in a pitch. Its ad sales mandate covers traditional display advertising formats as well as videos on RTL2.de and the RTL II online site MyPokito.de. The ‘RTL II-Text’ Teletext site is already produced by RTL Interactive and marketed by IP Deutschland.

The long-form content featured in the RTL II-Mediathek, which was successfully launched in August 2011 will be merged into the new ‘RTL II Now’ platform come January, which will make it part of RTL Interactive’s video-on-demand portfolio. RTL II users can still use the RTL II-Mediathek to view (short) clips.

Jochen Starke, Managing Director RTL II, says: “Our high-quality online sites have seen a steep rise in user numbers, especially since the launch of our new mediatheque in August. We will now further expand our video-on-demand range together with RTL Interactive, and will rev up our ad sales as well with IP Deutschland. With Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s online sites in its portfolio, our new partner has proven TV expertise and commands an outstanding market position. RTL II will benefit from this as well.”

RTL Interactive’s Managing Director Marc Schröder says: “Our ‘Now’ family gives viewers the option of time-shifted television. We are pleased that, from January on, RTL II’s successfully launched video-on-demand site will complement Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s portfolio of channel platforms under the RTL II Now brand.“

Paul Mudter, Head of Interactive at IP Deutschland, adds: “We are delighted to have RTL II’s online offerings in our portfolio. This brings together all of the online portals operated by Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland under our ad sales umbrella. Especially in video, the addition of strong formats like Die Geissens, Berlin – Tag & Nacht and many others gives us some exceedingly attractive advertising environments.”

RTL II’s TV airtime sales will continue to be handled by El Cartel Media. Cross-media campaigns will be designed and managed by El Cartel Media, and realised in co-operation with IP Deutschland. Likewise, tie-ins and collaborations will continue to be realised by RTL II in co-operation with IP Deutschland. The online ad sales agreement that has existed with Interactive Media since 2007 ends at the turn of the year.

RTL II reorganises its online ad salesStarting 1 January 2012, all of RTL2.de’s online advertising slots will be marketed by IP Deutschland’s Interactive unit. Also from January, the RTL II-Mediathek will become part of the new ‘RTL II Now’ platform.Germany - 19 December 2011

RTL Interactive’s ‘Now’ family: Vox Now, RTL Now, RTL II Now and Super RTL Now (from left to right)


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On 12 December, the Tafel Neuss food bank was able to enjoy an early Christmas present. Within the framework of the Super RTL charity campaign “Kinder helfen Kindern,” the Super RTL presenters Nina and Paddy presented a cheque for more than €15,000 to the chairman of the Bundesverband Deutsche Tafel, Gerd Häuser. The money will be used for the continuation of a project that provides warm meals to children from socially disadvantaged families each day.

In addition, children in need throughout Germany can look forward to a very special Christmas: to date, more than 10,000 “Kinder helfen Kindern” toy packages were donated to GLS; they will be distributed in time for Christmas Eve to children from disadvantaged families throughout Germany.

Charity campaign raises €15,000 The money raised by Super RTL’s “Kinder helfen Kindern” campaign goes to the Tafel Neuss food bank, which provides warm meals to children in need each day.Germany - 20 December 2011

Gerd Häuser, Rebecca Schuh, Paddy and Nina (from left to right)


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Sponsored by actors Omar Sy and Fred Testot, the “Cé Ke Du Bonheur” association aims to improve the quality of life for hospitalised children and adolescents. Last year, with generous participation from other artists and personalities, they did an extreme makeover on the “Maison des enfants” (children’s home) of the Robert Debré hospital. Valérie Damidot and her D&Co were on hand again this year to meet another big challenge: to renovate, in just one week’s time, a 300 square metre structure of the same type at the Bicêtre hospital in Paris.

For this occasion, Valérie Damidot gathered a group of friends who have had their share of happy moments with children to lend a hand to the D&Co team during the renovations, including

Robert Pires, Emmanuel Petit, Amel Bent, James Blunt, Géraldine Nakache, Anggun, Corneille, Olivia Ruiz and many others. From painting to gardening and repairs of all kinds, there was no shortage of work in order to offer these children and their parents an entirely renovated and comfortable “Maison des enfants” with a cosy and unique décor, a little like one’s own home.

The show Spéciale D&Co: C’est du bonheur gathered more than 2 million viewers that evening, which corresponds to an audience share of 13.5 per cent among housewives under 50, making M6 the second most-watched channel in prime time on 20 December.

D&Co brings cheer to hospitalised childrenFor the second consecutive year, the D&Co team has decided to help children in hospitals by supporting the “Cé Ke Du Bonheur” association.France - 22 December 2011

From painting to gardening and repairs, there was no shortage of work or fun

Valérie Damidot


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On Weemseesdet (“Tell me about it!”), viewers are invited into the living room of the Wampach family, where they can follow the funny and often caricatured adventures of this typical middle-class Luxembourgish family. On the menu: shopping, love, undeclared work, drinking and driving, coronaries, multiculturalism, passing one’s A-levels, contraception, doping, fetishism, Viagra, breast cancer, criminality, social pressures, racism, careerism and political asylum – in short, normal life in Luxembourg.

Produced by Deal Productions, the production house created by Alexandra Hoesdorff-Rosen with Luxembourgish actress and presenter Désirée Nosbusch, Weemseesdet is the very first sitcom produced in Luxembourgish. It has been airing on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg every Friday since 30 September. The 24 episodes of the sitcom, which is described as a combination of Roseanne, The Cosby Show and My So-Called Life, were shot in the summer of 2011 with the support of Filmfund Luxembourg and RTL Lëtzebuerg.

Another family, American this time, slightly more mad and of the working class, also made a remarkable debut on the Luxembourg channel at the start of the television season: The Simpsons. This well-known family from the town of Springfield began learning Luxembourgish last summer and by 18 September the country’s television viewers could witness the incredible progress

they had made when the show premiered. Airing every Sunday, in a Luxembourgish version this hilarious series, has managed to charm more and more viewers in the Grand Duchy.

Steve Schmit, Station Manager RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg, comments: ”What Luxembourgers have in common, is first of all their local specific language. All of them watch their favourite series in German or in French, but in each case it is an effort for them to do so in a foreign language. RTL broadcasts The Simpsons and a sitcom in Luxembourgish. This is one of the most relevant ways to prove to the audience that Luxembourgish is a living and modern language and that RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg offers them the contents they are looking for. One Luxembourger out of two watches RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg every day, since 1995 – a record audience RTL will try to maintain in the next years, especially by providing Luxembourg with local news and unexpected content.”

To find the Luxembourgish voices of Homer, Bart, Marge, and the other characters, RTL Lëtzebuerg launched a major audition last summer. More than 250 people showed up, and more than 500 voices were cast. A total of 42 episodes, from seasons 20 and 21, have been scheduled for the 2011/12 season. The channel began with Episode 10 from season 20, as this was the first episode in the saga to be produced in HD. The translation was done by RTL Lëtzebuerg for Season 20 and by Hatari Publishing for Season 21. Fans of the series have thus been able to discover some of the series’ cult phrases delivered in Luxembourgish, such as Bart’s famous “Eat my shorts!”, which became “Friess méng box!”.

“A wonderful challenge”Among the new programmes in RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg’s 2011/12 season presentation two shows were bound to wow audiences: the sitcom Weemseesdet and The Simpsons – both broadcast in Luxembourgish. Luxembourg - 22 December 2011

The Simpsons

Panpipe player wins

Leo Rojas (27), an Ecuadorian panpipe

player and street musician is winner of

‘Das Supertalent’ 2011. The finale of the

Grundy Light Entertainment-produced

show attracted as many as 7.94 million

viewers to RTL Television.


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500,000 coaches for The Voice of HollandThe Thuiscoach app lets Voice of Holland viewers play at home and coach the candidates while watching the RTL 4 programme. It has been downloaded over 500,000 times since its launch. Netherlands - 16 December 2011

RTL à l’infini enriches its Telenet packageRTL NewMedia and Telenet continue their collaboration and expand the selection of programmes available on the RTL à l’infini video-on-demand platform, starting with series. Belgium - 16 December 2011

An upward trend in catch-up radioThe results of the Médiamétrie study on the consumption of previously aired radio programming for November 2011 are the best ever registered by RTL Radio. With 4,332,000 podcasts downloaded, the station has again improved its performance.France - 16 December 2011

Groupe M6 a major player in online videoMédiamétrie/NetRatings recently published the first audience figures from its new Video Panel which measures video views on PC screens only. Groupe M6’s services are distinguished by excellent results in September 2011, both in the general ratings and in ratings limited to French TV groups. France - 20 December 2011


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Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet on Le Grand Jury Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, French Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing was the guest of RTL Le Grand Jury / Le Figaro / LCI, talking about the Durban summit and current ecological topics. France - 20 December 2011

Total Blackout starts wellThe opening episode of Total Blackout, the new entertainment show of RTL-TVI produced by FremantleMedia, attracted 607,300 viewers and a 30.9 per cent audience share. Belgium - 20 December 2011

Info Network to produce DMax newsFrom 2 January 2012, Info Network, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s production company for news and magazine shows, will produce the news for the men’s channel, DMax. Germany - 21 December 2011

The greatest DJs to end the yearEvery night until 1 January, the biggest names in the international techno-house scene will take control of the airwaves at Fun Radio, including Tiësto, Swedisch House Mafia, Michael Mind, DJ Antoine, Bob Sinclar, Martin Solveig and many others. France - 22 December 2011


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People

Marcel BerghuisNetherlands - 16 December 2011

Marcel Berghuis (42) will join RTL Nederland as the company’s new HR Manager on 1 January 2012.

In his new role, he will supervise all HR management-related matters at RTL Nederland, including the development and implementation of HR strategies for personnel management and information systems.

RTL Nederland CEO Bert Habets says: “Marcel has extensive experience in the fields of HR and personnel management. His expertise in staff development corresponds precisely with our goals. Also, his vision matches RTL Nederland’s company culture and values, so we are delighted to have him join our team.“

Marcel Berghuis says: “I am very pleased with this opportunity to work for this leading brand – an effective and creative company with passionate employees. I look forward to working with the HR department to further advance the development of personnel relations.”

Marcel began his career in 1996 as an personnel officer at Spankracht Project Detachering. He later worked as a personnel consultant for FunktieMediair and HR Manager for Publicis, then spent six years as an HR Project Manager at Mediq (formerly OPG Groep). He was in charge of HR management, employer branding and performance management.

Marcel Berghuis

People

Jean-Xavier BouxomFrance - 21 December 2011

Jean-Xavier Bouxom, has been appointed Deputy Director General for Commerce at M6 Publicité, with effect from 19 December 2011.

Replacing Damien Viel, the 40-year-old newly appointed Deputy Director General for Commerce will be in charge of all advertising sales activities within M6 Publicité. Before joining M6 Publicité, he held the position of Director General for Commerce at CBS Outdoor France.

Bouxom started his career in 1999 at Publiprint, where he was Advertising Manager in charge of job offers advertising. He then joined IP, RTL Group’s advertising arm, as Advertising Manager before returning to Publiprint as

Deputy Director of Advertising for Le Figaro. He then worked for Espace Libération, where during five years he held various managerial positions and was promoted to Delegate Director in 2006. His work involved on- and off-line advertising and included working for the daily newspaper Libération. In 2007, Bouxom joined CBS Outdoor France.

In his new role, Jean-Xavier Bouxom joins a team whose other members are Ronan Fressenel, Deputy Director General in charge of studies and marketing, and Henri de Fontaines, Deputy Director General in charge of global strategies and creation. All three report to Catherine Lenoble, Director General of M6 Publicité.


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People

Ian McClelland Rhys Noelke Luxembourg - 22 December 2011

Ian McClelland, currently Senior Vice President of New Media at RTL Group, will join FremantleMedia Enterprises as of 1 March 2012. As of 1 January 2012, the New Media team will report to Rhys Noelke, Vice President Business Development.

After three years as Head and later Senior Vice President of New Media of RTL Group, Ian McClelland will be seconded to FremantleMedia in Australia to work on the digital strategy for FremantleMedia Enterprises Asia-Pacific as from 1 March 2012. Prior to accepting his new position at RTL Group, Ian worked for eight years at Turner Broadcasting, a company whose current assets include CNN, TBS and Cartoon Network.

As of 1 January 2012, the New Media team will report to Rhys Noelke, Vice President Business Development.

Ian McClelland

Rhys Noelke

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