After the 61-year-old from Trauner initially spoke to presenter Verena Scheitz regarding exotic electoral issues (DNA party in the EU election, beer party in the National Council election), Bürger gave a statement on the matter live on the Studio 2 broadcast at the request of the General Directorate .
“Shirt off his body” and politics
“The truth is relatively simple. Since 2002 I have been regularly asked if I would like to take part. The answer was always, no, I won’t, as long as I’m doing domestic politics at ORF. “I don’t want to tear my shirt off during a wild dance and comment on domestic politics the next day,” says Bürger. He was asked once more in January, but declined: “I’m definitely not going to be there next year, maybe at some point.”
Ban on speaking following dismissal
Hans Bürger was dismissed as political director for Zeit im Bild on February 15th and has since been analyzing political developments in ORF’s morning and evening magazines – much to his own chagrin, but also to that of numerous viewers. Bürger was then banned from giving interviews to other media – reportedly by General Director Roland Weißmann personally. After the exclusive report regarding his “Dancing Stars” ambitions in the “Kleine Zeitung” on Thursday, “all hell broke loose on him all day. There have been so many inquiries,” says Bürger.
Author
Helmut Atteneder
Culture editor
Helmut Atteneder
