Media pioneer Helmut Thoma: A life's work that made RTL great!

Media pioneer Helmut Thoma: A life's work that made RTL great!

Wien, Österreich - On May 3, 2023, the prominent media manager Helmut Thoma died in Vienna, and this happened on his 86th birthday. Thoma was one of the most formative personalities in the media industry and played a crucial role in the development of German private television. Especially in the 80s and 90s, he made a name for himself as the managing director of the broadcaster RTL and formed the face of television in Germany and Austria. His death, which was confirmed by various media, marks the end of an era on radio.

Thoma grew up in Vienna and started his career on Austrian radio, ORF. From there he switched to Radio Luxemburg and was involved in the founding of the German private television channel RTL in 1984. Under his leadership, RTL developed from a small team of 25 employees to one of the largest media companies in Europe. The number of spectators increased steadily and RTL achieved annual market shares of over 17 percent. These successes led him and his then business partner Erich Staake to lead the station for the fortunes of the station.

visionary of television

Thoma understood television as a service for the audience. His focus on the needs of the audience was a central aspect of his philosophy. At a time when television in Germany was just in change, it contributed significantly to the introduction of new program formats and opened the way for the diversity on private television. These developments were an important step in the development of the dual broadcasting system in Germany, which started with the introduction of RTL and SAT.1 in the 1980s.

The history of television goes far back and is a continuous development process. Already in the 19th century, visionaries such as Paul Nipkow recognized the possibility of image transmission, while various technical innovations formed television in the course of the 20th century. A five -hour daily television program was broadcast in the FRG in 1950, with education being in the foreground. With the introduction of RTL, the offer was finally diversified and new formats such as comedy and reality TV were created, which enriched television pleasure. planet-wissen.de has documented the development of television in detail.

Helmut Thoma will be remembered as one of the most dazzling characters in the media landscape of Austria and Germany. His clever management and visionary ideas left a lasting impression in the industry, which thanks to its contributions became what it is today. His death is seen by many as a big loss for the media world.

In the last few years of his life, Thoma looked back on important developments in the industry that brought many changes. These changes not only contributed to entertainment, but also to the formation and information of the spectators. They illustrate the influence that the media have on society, especially in the rapidly changing digital times when we live.

Thoma leaves a rich legacy in the media landscape that will accompany generations of spectators for a long time. While television is developing, Thoma remains a symbol of pioneering work that laid the foundation for modern private television. wien.orf.at reports on the reactions of his death and the collected regret in the industry.