Talk show under pressure
How the ARD hit talk show “maischberger” is made at Studio.Berlin in Adlershof
Presenter Sandra Maischberger has been a fixture on German television with her eponymous political talk show (Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and sometimes Mondays, at 10.50 pm on ARD) since 2003, attracting more than a million viewers. “Maischberger” is a joint ARD production, produced by WDR in collaboration with Vincent productions GmbH. Overall responsibility for the programme rests with Elke Maar, head of production at WDR, who gives final approval to all the processes involved in making the show. The programme is generally recorded in Studio C at Studio.Berlin on the day it is broadcast, “live on tape”, and transmitted a few hours later without further editing. When the news agenda demands it, the team goes straight on air to ensure the programme is as up to date as possible.
Each production is overseen by a programme duty editor. The “maischberger” team has three of them, who take turns in the role and steer each edition through the production process. Adlershof Journal was given a behind-the-scenes look by Stefanie von Drathen, who was responsible for the programme broadcast on 1 September 2026. At the weekly talk show, preparation is key: “We discuss which topics are relevant and who would be the right person to speak about each one. Is the coalition government on the verge of collapse? Then we need someone from the coalition. Will the retirement age be raised again? Bring in the federal minister of labour and social affairs. Sandra Maischberger is involved in every stage of the process.” There’s a ground rule for preparation: The earlier, the better. Members of the federal government are kept under permanent invitation.
Each programme features a panel of commentators and guests on the main podium. On 1 September, the commentators were Markus Preiß, head of ARD’s Berlin studio; ZDF journalist Nicole Diekmann; and Ijoma Mangold, cultural correspondent for German weekly Die Zeit. Before the programme, the editorial team explored the panel members’ positions in detailed preliminary interviews, asking each of them the same questions. The aim is to bring together guests who represent as wide a range of perspectives, explains von Drathen: “Diekmann and Mangold are at opposite ends of the spectrum. She warns against the AfD, while he regards voting for it as a legitimate democratic expression of opinion. Preiß acts as the explainer, putting the discussion into the context of government policy as well.”
The main podium features Sigmar Gabriel (SPD), appearing for a one-to-one interview in his capacity as former federal foreign minister, and, in a head-to-head debate, former Green Party co-leader Ricarda Lang and journalist and author Ulf Poschardt. They discuss energy policy, the Brandmauer (cordon sanitaire against the far right), and immigration. Their clashing on these issues is deliberate. To identify the fault lines between the two, the editorial team also prepared detailed profiles of these guests. Each guest is researched by a member of the editorial team over the course of about a week. This is standard practice, explains von Drathen. “Everything is watched, listened to and read. Perhaps someone has published a book or launched a podcast. What are they posting on Instagram?” By the weekend before the broadcast, Maischberger has all the guest dossiers in front of her, complete with short biographies, portraits, articles and papers outlining their positions.
By the time the editorial conferences take place on Sunday and Monday, Maischberger has annotated all the documents with her own notes. The team then meets at the offices of Vincent Productions in Prenzlauer Berg to discuss the material, comparing the editorial team’s proposed questions with Maischberger’s own. Her interview questions are each based on an anticipated answer. The presenter’s cue cards specify the available airtime for each section of the programme.
Once the meeting is over, the team jumps into the car and heads to Adlershof, where all the video inserts, graphics and photographs needed for the programme are checked and coordinated. Another important point: Is there breaking news or an important press conference before the show? On the day of the broadcast, the team also produces an up-to-date video report in which the federal interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, comments on Russia’s hybrid attacks on Leipzig Airport. All of this is coordinated with von Drathen and Maar. When the sound on one of the pre-recorded video reports (known in German broadcasting as a MAZ) turns out not to be quite right, the duty editor herself steps into the voice-over booth to record it again. Then that’s done, too. It’s 8 pm and the recording starts. Sandra Maischberger is now entirely on her own—with an earpiece in case anything unexpected happens.
Susanne Gietl for Adlershof Journal