- Over a quarter-century of ZDF's " complete can" broadcasts.
Every Sunday to Friday mornings for the past 25 years, "Volle Kanne" has been a staple at the breakfast table, joining conversations about cooking, gardening, health tips, and current political, economic, and societal news. Millions tun in daily to catch this mix that guarantees success.
Originating in 1999 as "Volle Kanne, Susanne" hosted by Susanne Stichler, it's now celebrating its silver jubilee. In the upcoming week (starting August 26), guests like extreme sportsman Joey Kelly with his son Luke, musician Thomas Anders, and Revolverheld frontman Johannes Strate along with pianist Sebastian Knauer are expected.
"The show's variety has proven successful for 25 years," says ZDF's editor-in-chief Bettina Schausten. "At the most famous French toast corner in Germany, we talk about what shapes people's daily lives."
Recently, this has included expert discussions on the new Mpox variant, a glimpse at the newly launched Ruhrtriennale cultural festival, and a report on wine yoga - all wrapped up within 85 minutes. During the anniversary week, topics will cover upcoming state elections in Thuringia and Saxony.
"The last few years have been tough for many. Shows like 'Volle Kanne' provide familiarity and calm to daily life, helping make sense of the non-stop news cycle," says Nadine Krüger, host since 2009 (after a brief hiatus).
The "Volle Kanne" team also includes its audience from Facebook questions directed to live guests. As of this year (January 2 to August 21), an average of 0.637 million viewers have been tuning in, accounting for a 15.1% market share - slightly higher than the overall 2023 average of 14.2%.
There are around 250 episodes each year. "Volle Kanne" airs Monday to Friday from 9:05 to 10:30 AM after the alternating ARD and ZDF "Morgenmagazin". As a morning magazine, "Volle Kanne" now stands alone amongst major broadcasters, with Sat.1's "Sat.1-Frühstücksfernsehen" as its only real competition until 10:00 AM.
ARD's "Live nach Neun" was a similar format to "Volle Kanne" but was discontinued at the end of 2023 after around five and a half years. At the time, ARD mentioned "linear program budget savings" for reallocating resources to its media library.
"Reaching out to people daily in their lives" is how "Volle Kanne" moderator Florian Weiss describes the show's main challenge: "With loads of things on their minds – from current news to health topics, consumer protection, and legal issues, to cooking, gardening, and DIY furniture making, combined with a prominent guest – that, for me, is the best job in the world."
Regular contributors include chefs Armin Roßmeier and Mario Kotaska, Baking Queen Cynthia Barcomi, interior designer Ann-Kathrin Otto, handyman Mick Wewers, and medical journalist Christoph Specht.
Weiss, also 47 like Kruger, has been the main host since 2021, following in the footsteps of Ingo Nommsen, who led the live show broadcast from Düsseldorf for 20 years. For the anniversary edition on August 30, ZDF promises a unique first: Kruger and Weiss will co-host from the "Volle Kanne" studio located at Düsseldorf Media Harbor.
Kelly is expected to be a guest on the upcoming episode of "Volle Kanne." Joey Kelly, along with his son Luke, is one of the anticipated guests for the show's silver jubilee week.
