Political quake at ORF: Fans are angry with Kickl's program change!

Political quake at ORF: Fans are angry with Kickl's program change!

Innsbruck, Österreich - The political Situation in Austria is currently causing considerable unrest on television. Due to the abrupt termination of negotiations between the FPÖ and the ÖVP, ORF was forced to change its transmission plan, which was not well received by all spectators. As OE24 reported, FPÖ boss Herbert Kickl interrupted the regular programming on February 12, 2025 at 8:15 p.m. with a public explanation. Instead of the expected episode of the popular "Bergdoktor" with Hans Sigl, who had planned many spectators for their Saturday evening, a special program about the political events of the day dominated the program.

resentment among the spectators

The decision to replace the successful series with political reporting met with considerable resistance. Spectators complained that Kickl's appearance ruined her evening. The displeasure on social media became loud, numerous comments printed out the horror of the fans of the "mountain doctor" and asked mockingly: "Will Kickl now be the new mountain doctor?" Unexplored spectators found that the charming retreat to the Alps had been deleted for the time being.

The role of Hans Sigl as a mountain doctor, which promises traditional cosiness, had to give way to the heated political discussions, which many found inappropriate. As if that weren't enough, the unexpectedness of the program was also heavily discussed on social media, as was reflected on TV.ORF.at. There were questions of what this sudden change in the program design could mean for the future political programs and the usual television culture of the ORF.

While the political gap between the parties is obvious, it remains unclear how these changes will influence the viewer behavior in the long run - and whether the fans of the "mountain doctor" may have to fear a new political dimension of the evening program.