Wolfram Kons solves problems, not just with money
Even in the most stressful, hectic times, Wolfram Kons retains the nonchalant composure that he radiates when it comes to the sausage. Better: when it comes to money. Yes, he is the man who first takes money out of people's pockets and then spends it with his hands full. On November 16 and 17, he will be collecting again, around the clock, not only at RTL. Many other channels and products in the RTL media family are supporting the campaign with live broadcasts or collection campaigns. He talks to ntv.de about power women, the dangers of carnival, his passion and, of course, children.
ntv.de: Wolfram, the telethon has never failed in the last few decades, right?
Wolfram Kons: No, never! And that's a real achievement for the whole team. We have always had to face new challenges. Corona, disasters, and there's always something new. The biggest challenge every year is not to destroy RTL's audience flow. We break up the existing TV structure for 24 hours. But that also means that if we take away airtime from "GZSZ", we have the stars from that show on the donation phone with us and draw their fans even deeper into the program.
Corona has been one of the biggest challenges in recent years, hasn't it?
Yes, that's right, and we pulled it off. The first big challenge for every RTL telethon, every year, is the carnival in Cologne. The first big group snog with all its consequences: Coughs, colds, hoarseness, the whole gamut (laughs). I always ask my team very kindly but firmly to hold back - and Kölle Alaaf: it works. Because I really need everyone in the team. There was only one time when I almost didn't take part, and that was in 2014, when the birth of our second son Leo was exactly on the day of the marathon. My colleague Steffen Hallaschka was behind the scenes for 24 hours in make-up so that he could step in immediately if the worst came to the worst. But it didn't come to that. Leo took his time and arrived a few days later. Thank you Leo, thank you Steffen!
The mission that touched you the most this year was the one in Turkey, you told me elsewhere, what was so different?
The earthquake at the beginning of February was not only in Turkey, but also in Syria. We added Turkish and Arabic to our appeals for help for the first time and had an extremely good response. There is always this acute phase when it comes to donations, and then the willingness to donate naturally wanes after a while. You have to see how you can keep the empathy up. After two months, when the acute phase was over, I went there and had a look on site. It was shocking, whole towns had been wiped out.
That certainly puts a lot of things into perspective ...
However, one's own problems really seem very insignificant in the face of such a catastrophe, an apocalypse for those affected.
The example of Turkey is a natural disaster. Is it any different when the disaster is man-made? Like in Ukraine or in Israel and Gaza?
Yes, but what choice do we have? The alternative would be not to help. In Afghanistan, too, we have repeatedly tried to help young girls in particular over the last three decades. That doesn't sound like a success story, but I believe that we have been able to turn the fates of individual children and their families around. I don't claim to be a world savior, but I not only firmly believe it, I know it: we have been able to turn individual biographies into positive ones. And that is something that continues to motivate us massively.
The RTL telethon has raised a total of over 270 million so far, a fantastic sum ...
That's true, but when I hear about other sums involving special funds or donations in the billions, then we're in the homeopathic range. But there is an even more important figure for me, namely: How many people have we inspired to help other people? We have generated billions of contacts on the subject of helping children. Of course, I think it's wonderful when people give us their time, the most precious commodity, and the most precious thing, namely their money. We use it responsibly, effectively and sustainably because we are professional helpers. But if we inspire others to build a new sandpit in the kindergarten next door, then that's great too.
That's a high standard ...
Of course, I want to be the charity champion with my team on German TV. In terms of quality and quantity. Not only during the RTL telethon, but also during the rest of the year. We've managed to do that quite well so far, and I want to keep working on it every day.
It's not just an economic thing, it's also something that you can't always put away so easily mentally: The images we see are becoming increasingly cruel.
I don't know if that's what helps me, but I'm a cheerful Rhenish person with a great gift for happiness. I can be happy about a lot of things that others might not see in the same way. I try to pass on my positive attitude to others, especially my children. We all get up at home with the thought: what good will this day bring us?
You know what you're doing all this for.
But here too, I look at things in perspective. Of course it's terrible to shoot the fates in a huge refugee camp, but firstly, I can leave again, unlike millions of others who live there, and secondly, other reporters are currently experiencing much worse than I am. I have a guiding principle that I also pass on to my team: "Empathize yes, suffer no." When you're suffering, you're paralyzed, and we have to be empathetic, but also professional.
How do you protect yourself?
I'm someone who doesn't watch everything. At the moment, the pictures and reports from Israel and Gaza, I don't click on: "Continue reading here if you want to see even more gruesome pictures or descriptions", I leave it alone. I have to ask myself, does seeing this help me, my soul, my work? No. For me there is a limit, which may be different for others. But I have to protect myself in order to be able to do my work. I don't watch horror movies either - because they wouldn't get me anywhere. I prefer to look for beautiful things that illuminate my life. Black and dark grey are not my colors.
A big focus of the charity marathon is on projects in Germany. Is it a sign of poverty that so many children in our country are so badly off?
Yes, it is an indictment, but this help is firmly anchored in the DNA of our foundation. When we open the 20th RTL children's home this year, in Bremerhaven, the city with the greatest child poverty, it is no reason to celebrate. It is once again a sign that we need to help these children to get the opportunities that other children are given. But it is certainly not a reason to celebrate, even if Nico Santos is our sponsor. We have accompanied children who have been able to take a great path, who have graduated from high school or completed their education, who have a great job, which is wonderful.
It means that children can become something if you look after them.
Yes, not everyone has to go to school or university, but we can and must provide impetus. Both educationally and culturally, or let's take sport! Recently, we were able to make the children in a Frankfurt children's home particularly happy because we showed up there with the Superbowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs (laughs). We played football and the kids were totally blown away. I draw the greatest strength from these experiences. And: if you give children the right stimuli, then a creativity emerges that takes them away from their digital devices. But, and this is really important to me, I want to address this: Of course, we also have such a high level of child poverty because we have a large proportion of children with a migration background in Germany who are not really integrated.
How do you choose your sponsors?
Often, as is the case now with Nico Santos, it's through a direct connection to the project or the city in which we are setting up the project. The 20th RTL Kinderhaus is being built in Bremerhaven, Nico comes from Bremen. And it's really important to him that something great is created for children. We need people with real conviction. Empathetic, likeable, committed. And serious. The question I ask my team when we think about new sponsors is: "Would you entrust your child to this person? Would you take them camping in a forest for the weekend?" Many projects apply to us, and then we think about who might be a good fit. Or our journalists from the large RTL News family come across an important topic. And then we sort and evaluate it and filter out the right stars and supporters.
The clinic clowns project particularly caught my eye ...
It's a great project that can bring a lot of joy and hope to children who have been in hospital for a long time. You need someone that everyone likes and that others can identify with. So we thought of Anna Ermakova, who has a very special life story herself, a fragile one, but who has really touched, reached and entertained people recently. She wants to bring joy to others. We took her to a children's hospital in Bonn and it worked. Everyone had a lot of fun - including Anna herself. And then comes the magic: humor helps heal.
Who don't you want?
The list of people we don't want as sponsors is just as long as the list of people we would love to have. We don't want any ego-agents who only want to promote themselves or their business, their latest book or their movie. Who put themselves above the children.
Please say a few words about "Die gute Minute" ...
Yes, "Die gute Minute" is new to the RTL program and I'm very happy about it. In addition to the longest charity show on German TV, we also have the shortest (laughs). Always on the last Friday of the month, directly after "RTL aktuell". We can explain briefly and succinctly where the donated money goes and, above all, that 100% of it arrives. We always present two projects, so you really know exactly where the money ends up. I've just been to Bethel, where there's now a great new playground and even children in wheelchairs can go on the trampoline. I want everyone to see that.
What are you expecting at this year's telethon - knowing full well that you're not a seer ...
(laughs) No, but a sensitive one. It will be even more important to pick up the people in front of the TV. We have to show very clearly what we need the money for and how and where it goes. RTL will cover all costs incurred, for example for trips we make to our projects. For the kick-off show on Thursday at 6 p.m., we will be switching on almost all of the Group's channels live, which has never happened before. This "switching through", as we call it, shows the commitment behind it.
People are generally willing to donate: this year, for example, when they saw the damage caused by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. And this despite the fact that we have repeatedly asked people for help in recent years after coronavirus, Ukraine and the floods in the Ahr valley. I hear that many people now even want to save on Christmas presents. Let's see whether the current strong consumer restraint also means a reluctance to donate.
Of course, the sponsors, who act with empathy, credibility and persuasiveness, also help here ...
Exactly. Monica Lierhaus, Annika Lau, Philipp Lahm, Felix Neureuther, Isabel Edvardson or Wayne Carpendale - these are people whose commitment is easy to believe. There is nothing artificial, nothing false behind it. Of course, we hope to win over both our regular donors and everyone else with such convincing people. I am aware that we will have to fight a little harder for every euro this year, but we are happy to do so.
There is the option of donating smaller amounts by text message ...
... yes, and even children donate from their pocket money for other children. That is often particularly touching. I can only say from my own experience: helping simply makes you happy! Our message is: we are not powerless, we are not without hope. We can achieve something if we tackle it together. And, very importantly, we have a responsibility towards the children.
A good point, at a time when it seems that everyone is closest to themselves and in many places dismissive of strangers.
Yes, I sense a strange mood in Germany at the moment. We adults have to be careful. If all we do is signal to children that everything is terrible, that we are on the brink of the apocalypse, then it will eat into their souls. It is important to me, without wanting to sugarcoat anything, that we also spread hope and optimism, because life can be very beautiful. If we go through life together, we can achieve a goal. Yes, there are problems, but we can solve them.
Sabine Oelmann spoke with Wolfram Kons
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Source: www.ntv.de
