Judith Rakers will quit as “Tagesschau” spokeswoman at the end of January. The 48-year-old is leaving at her own request. This ends an era of almost 20 years in the First.
Judith Rakers wanted to concentrate more on her entrepreneurial activities, the public broadcaster Norddeutsche Rundfunk (NDR) announced on Tuesday in Hamburg. Her last appearance as a “Tagesschau” spokeswoman is planned for January 31st. However, she will not be withdrawing from the television business. As the presenter of the NDR talk show “3nach9” and the ARD travel magazine “Wunderschön”, Rakers remains loyal to the audience.
In the NDR announcement, Judith Rakers explains: “After 19 successful and exciting years at ‘Tagesschau’, I have decided with a heavy heart to leave. It is time to focus my life on other projects, my entrepreneurial ones To further expand our activities and tackle new things for which there was previously not enough time in addition to the news shift work.”
“Judith Rakers’ departure is a great loss”
As the broadcaster also reports, there will initially be no successor for Judith Rakers. The speakers for the main edition of Germany’s widest-reach news program remain Jens Riewa, Susanne Daubner, Julia-Niharika Sen, Thorsten Schröder and Constantin Schreiber.
Those responsible at ARD seem to be regretting their departure. This is what Marcus Bornheim, the first editor-in-chief of “ARD-aktuell” says: “Judith Rakers’ departure from the ‘Tagesschau’ is a great loss. She is not only popular with our viewers, the entire team also values her as a “Human and colleague,” said Bornheim. Over the past 19 years, she has “charmingly and professionally navigated many news situations,” it continues.
Bornheim concluded the farewell announcement with a look into the future: “We respect her wish for change and wish her much success on her path.” Judith Rakers has repeatedly made headlines in recent months with a private project. According to her own statements, she lives “at the bottom of the world” and is building a life there away from the hustle and bustle with her own cultivation. Her country house is in the Hamburg area, where her goal is to be self-sufficient.