hard but fair” during the summer break: no new show today!

hard but fair” during the summer break: no new show today!

Today, June 23, 2025, the ARD screen remains dark for the political talk show “hart aber fair”. Moderator Louis Klamroth, who has been running the show since January 2023, is saying goodbye to the summer break with his team. All viewers will have to wait until the next edition on September 12th. During this time, followers of the show will have the opportunity to submit their opinions, concerns and questions through various channels such as telephone, Internet, fax or email.

As the desired platform reports, “hard but fair” covers topics from politics, business and society, and viewers can look forward to exciting additional content that includes in-depth reports and films. Klamroth, who was awarded the German Television Prize for “Klamroth's Counter” in 2018, took over the moderation from Frank Plasberg, who was at the helm for 22 years and in almost 750 programs.

Changes in sending behavior

ARD recently announced that it would change the broadcasting behavior of its political talk shows. After the last edition on May 12th, “hard but fair” will no longer be broadcast on Mondays for the time being. Instead, Sandra Maischberger takes over the Monday evening broadcast slot with her talk show “Maischberger”. These changes coincide with the planned spring and summer break, which also affected the “hard but fair” broadcast format. The number of broadcasts has already been reduced in 2023, so it remains unclear when and in what form “hard but fair” will return after the summer break.

Maischberger will continue to broadcast regularly during the week and can be seen on select dates such as May 19th and May 26th at 10:50 p.m. This means that Monday evening will be dominated by “Maischberger” in the future, while viewers have to wait for the return of Klamroth’s talk show. However, the option of watching the current programs in the ARD media library with a time delay remains. This option is a ray of hope for all fans who want to follow the discussions afterwards.

A look at “tough but fair”

“hart aber fair”, which has been broadcast weekly since 2001, has established itself as a constant on the German talk show offering. Considering the numerous formats that have come to the screen over the years, the show is one of the last bastions for in-depth political discussions. At a time when the media landscape is constantly changing, “hard but fair” remains true to its roots by highlighting critical topics and opinions and inviting viewers to actively participate. The show was regularly valued as a place for engaging discussions about current topics, which made it a highly relevant format.

The ARD media library also offers various programs during the summer break, which could mean that fans of political talk culture don't have to completely miss out on their usual dose of current events. But until Klamroth and his team return, it remains to be seen what will happen in the political landscape and how the traffic game will evolve in the evening program.