In the middle of the RTL Aktuell program, the power fails. Moderator Peter Kloeppel knows what to do and lights himself up with the lamp on his cell phone.
Cologne – That was an unusual “RTL Aktuell” broadcast: on Sunday evening (July 11th, 2021) the power suddenly went out in the TV station’s Cologne studio. Chief presenter Peter Kloeppel was disturbed in a moderation to the contribution about the space flight of the billionaire Richard Branson.
In the sentence “The British billionaire Richard Branson was in space today …” the light went out, the audience: inside only saw black – just like the presenter.
Power failure at RTL Aktuell: Peter Kloeppel continues to moderate with cell phone light
Peter Kloeppel hesitated a moment, but then finished his sentence unmoved. Then he turned to the audience: “And if you can no longer see me, but possibly hear me, I can tell you: The light has gone out here in the studio. We’ll just keep going. ”That was also possible: the camera, direction and broadcast handling were supplied by an emergency power generator.
The report also ran on RTL television. The lights in the studio could not be turned on again. The RTL veteran Kloeppel did not lose his sense of humor: “Well, while some people fly into space, I have to say that we are struggling with earthly problems.” He finally illuminated himself with his smartphone light. There was in the background to hear an alarm in the broadcasting center of RTL. Kloeppel continued the live switch to the correspondent nonetheless.
Power failure at RTL: moderator has to improvise – “I don’t need that every day”
During another contribution about the Dutch journalist Peter de Vries, those involved in the “RTL Aktuell” program were able to organize spotlights. Peter Kloeppel and co-moderator Andreas von Thien were then better lit. The background, however, remained dark.
After the power failure during his RTL broadcast, Peter Kloeppel reported: “I’m in the middle of a moderation and suddenly it turns buff – and the light was gone. And at the same time, of course, when you’re sitting in the studio, you think we’re not broadcasting any more. ”However, he recognized that the broadcast was still going on and continued. “I’ve never seen it like this before – and I don’t need to do it every day,” he summed up.
RTL Aktuell: Short circuit causes power failure
The power failure during the “RTL Aktuell” broadcast was caused by a short circuit, said a spokeswoman for the broadcaster. As a result, the power went out. The short circuit also caused smoke to develop, which triggered the fire alarm. However, there was no fire, according to the RTL spokeswoman. There was no danger for the employees, so the broadcast was continued.
Power outages in the USA have another cause: the power grid is overloaded due to the large number of air conditioning systems and fans. (Max Schäfer with dpa)
