The show has been running on Erste for around 30 years and is one of the most popular folk music shows in Germany. An audience of millions regularly watches. The broadcaster justified the end with austerity measures. On the one hand, the money should be saved and, on the other hand, invested in the development of new digital entertainment formats. In addition, ARD and SWR want to focus on a younger and newer audience.

Competition for the ZDF “TV Garden”

Since 2005, Mross from Upper Bavaria has moderated the show, which is produced in an open-air arena in Europa-Park near Freiburg. Last year, an average of 1.26 million people watched the twelve live editions of the first, and the show achieved an average market share of around 17 percent.

ZDF broadcasts a similar format called “Fernsehgarten” on Sundays during the warm season – also live, in the open air and with popular music. The show has been around for 40 years and 20 editions are planned this year. According to ZDF, an average of 1.686 million people saw the show with presenter Andrea Kiewel (60) last year, with an average market share of around 18 percent.

There was always a rift between Mross and SWR

The collaboration with ARD has not always gone smoothly in recent years. After one Brawl in a hotel and national headlines about the incident, SWR examined in spring 2023 whether Mross should not be replaced. The Leipzig district court issued a criminal order against him in November 2022. Ultimately, Mross was allowed to continue moderating.

There were also headlines after a show in 2022 when Mross interviewed a girl during the show and asked her “What’s so special about riding a (M)Ross?” SWR told RTL at the time that they had spoken to Mross about the scene. “He made the pun in question spontaneously – and without any intention of hurting his young guest or the audience. The presenter of our popular entertainment program is very sorry that the joke caused irritation.” At that time, SWR left the program in the media library.

Attack of weakness because of currywurst

The pop star also made emotional headlines around the show, which moved many fans. Last year, for example, his first wife, Stefanie Hertel (46), stepped in for him after his mother died. In the following edition, “Always on Sundays,” Mross sang a moving song in memory of her.

The 50-year-old not only hosted the show over the years, but also often sang himself or slipped into comic roles such as that of the top French chef “Maître Stephane” or the Italian magician “Stefano Mrossini” – much to the delight of the audience.

For years, the show also featured cooking – until an incident in 2014. Mross tried a very spicy currywurst sauce and suffered a faint attack. Rescue workers took him to a clinic. The sausage test was part of the “Challenge for Stefan” section of the show. After the incident, a SWR spokeswoman promised that she would no longer give the presenter any tasks that had to do with tasting food and drinks. What the viewers appreciated about Mross was that he was always taking on new tasks, the spokeswoman said at the time.