“The Royal Circus: How TV Stations Chain Viewers to British Monarchy Coverage”

Chains are regularly put on the television audience. For example, when the TV program consists of how the British noble family celebrates frills with great pomp and pomp.

Frankfurt am Main – In a liberal democracy, people think they are free to choose their TV station. However, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s expression “Man is born free and everywhere he lies in chains” seems to gain new topicality in relation to certain events. Chains are regularly put on the TV audience when the TV schedule consists of broadcast marathons about the British royal family celebrating some frills with great pomp and pomp. Each time an accident of medieval costumes, men in tights, absurdly large hats, flowing trains and military helmets of the Royal Guard, whose lanyard seems to be sitting in the soldiers’ mouths (pay attention!), from which you just can’t take your eyes off can.

Coronation of Charles III: TV Germany is also sitting in front of the telly

Now TV Germany will be forced in front of the TV on Saturday when King Charles and his wife Camilla are crowned in Westminster Abbey in London. The ceremony has been planned for weeks and rehearsed several times beforehand. The perfect staging of a powerful family clan. Fun fact: The whole thing is also subsidized by huge amounts of tax money. Nevertheless, the event seems to have a magical attraction for the British. And all to solemnly swear allegiance to some random firstborn?

In Germany, too, the royal circus performance is the opium for the TV people who are actually responsible. Days before, people stare into the boob tube, in which an absurd spectacle about the absurd spectacle of the coronation is taking place. On ARD, the audience enjoys a specially produced documentary about King Charles III. On “RTL Exclusiv” Frauke Ludowig routinely moderates even the most insignificant development around Buckingham Palace. And in the morning shows of the TV and radio stations you can see and hear the fan curve of Celtic Glasgow in a continuous loop “You can shove your coronation up your ass!roar. Nevertheless, very few viewers ask themselves what justification this anachronistic form of government of the parliamentary monarchy still has for the benefit of a family clan.

Coronation in Great Britain: The TV stations under power

Because the fact that we are talking about a terribly nice family from Great Britain with a highly problematic political and private past, who are given a proud six and a half hours of broadcasting time on ARD on the day of the coronation alone (admittedly interrupted by two shortened “Tagesschau” editions), must be clear to all viewers. But the dubious background of the Windsor family obviously does not prevent the TV stations from reporting in detail about this tiny group of colonialism profiteers: inside (including an alleged pedophile royal brother).

Rather, the editors of the TV stations are electrified. Because these are the days, now few and far between, when the smoking ban is lifted in the television studios of ARD and ZDF, because Marie Countess von Waldburg, with her rough smoker’s bar voice of the quality class Rothändle (without filter), incomprehensible and irrelevant anecdotes about encounters with members of the British royal family. This is quality journalism!

Coronation of Prince Charles: reporting as a royal accolade

Speaking of quality: Being able to report on the royals seems to be the literal accolade for some journalists. This is not least noticeable in Anette Dittert and her wardrobe, who seem to have lost any distance to the pomp of the British royals. One gets the impression that Dittert would much rather be a member of the royal family clan than just report on it. The holy seriousness celebrated by Dittert, in which she speaks about the royal family, is admittedly quite entertaining to watch. But it has as much to do with objective reporting or serious journalism as if Esther Sedlaczek were to report on the DFB Cup final in an Eintracht Frankfurt jersey.

Canceling coverage of the royals would free mainstream television audiences from their chains and give them a lifetime of watching the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte (Spoiler alert: There’s a lot of banging going on again) on Netflix !) can get away. The media circus about the royal events from birth, marriage, coronation, infidelity to the royal bite in the grass should therefore be called out: It mocks the honest citizens! On the scaffold with him! (Moritz Post)