"There is an alliance of the good"
I'm talking to a very rested Wolfram Kons, who has just returned from the studio in Cologne where he recorded "Die gute Minute". This shortest program on RTL is close to the presenter's heart because it provides information about everything to do with the charity marathon that took place last week. However, the former morning show presenter is a master of getting up early and getting little sleep.
ntv.de: So, well-rested?
Wolfram Kons: (laughs) Of course, long since! After the telethon is before the telethon. It always goes on straight away, there's no break. The whole campaign was a huge vote of confidence from our viewers and the people who donated on all channels. Now we have to take this fantastic result back to the children in need. One thing is to collect the money, the other, and this is actually even more challenging - and time-consuming - is to get the entire donation volume into sustainable projects for children without losing a single euro.
So you are satisfied with the result of over 20 million ...
Very satisfied and very humble. We have the opportunity to see in advance what will most likely come in from the major donors, but we have absolutely no idea what the individual donors will give. However, we have received such an increase in telephone and online donations that we really didn't expect based on the forecasts.
That strengthens our faith in humanity a little, doesn't it?
It actually makes me very happy that people are not sitting on their money, even when times are difficult, but are also giving some of it to children. There seem to be many who think: "Now more than ever, we have to help." Of course, the number of people who donate is effectively lower than those who do not. But those who do donate give more. And we had more donors. That's great.
What are the first steps now? The money is there, it now needs to be distributed.
There is a very clear order according to which we distribute the money, and there is even a technical term for this: in NGO-speak, this is called "outflow of funds". But we are still in the phase where donations come in through traditional bank transfers. The RTL telethon is not over yet. In concrete terms, we are now following three steps and prioritizing the distribution of donations: The highest priority is given to the projects that we presented during the telethon and the continuation of our soon to be 20 RTL children's homes throughout Germany. With the funds that are left over, we can still support many smaller projects. In total, we implemented more than 260 projects last year. At the same time, we continue to report on our projects. Yesterday, for example, I was at an elementary school to open a mobile swimming pool. We then show these stories regularly in "Die gute Minute", always on the last Friday of the month directly after RTL aktuell.
Was there an emotional highlight this year?
Most of the encounters with the children take place before the telethon, so there are always a lot of very moving moments. During the show itself, I was overwhelmed by the willingness to help in Germany this year. It's often the little moments, for example on the phone, where people say they can't give more than 20 euros, but they really want to give something. And some say that they have now inherited something and therefore want to give more.
Are you surprised by these moments in our lives, which are often characterized by "me me me", by coldness and alienation?
On the one hand yes, on the other not at all, because I believe there is an alliance of the good. There are certainly many people who have defined a truth for themselves: not having to help and still feeling good about it. But most people know that money, that a donation, can make a difference in a child's life. They know that the money will get there. I was really blown away by the breadth of the amount.
Do people give their money with the message: This is for the bee project in the Ahr valley or for the street children in Cambodia?
Yes, we sometimes hear that, of course there is that wish. We can arrange this for large donations, but unfortunately not for smaller ones. But we notice when most people call or donate, so we also know which contribution they have seen before that has touched them. However, viewers trust us and give their money for a specific purpose.
And because they trust you personally ...
Yes, they can do that too. I take that very seriously, people know that. I spend the whole year working intensively on the topic, I bear the responsibility.
You don't get tired, do you?
No (laughs)! The show is so much fun, it's such a unique format! I'm like a chef and waiter - all year round we gather the ingredients as a team, then we cook, set the table and finally I serve.
And then it tastes good too!
I have that feeling too (laughs). And to be honest - I'm already back in the kitchen.
What would you like to give your viewers, the donors, for the pre-Christmas period?
I simply have a request, not just for Christmas: Pay loving attention to children, everywhere in the world, but also right next door and in your own home. Pay attention to the signals, where can I provide support? That's my biggest request: remain empathetic and intervene when necessary. And as I said - if you want to look over our shoulders, go to "RTL - Wir helfen Kinder", where we show what we do and where we stand.
Sabine Oelmann spoke with Wolfram Kons
Source: www.ntv.de
