Licht ins Dunkel
Encyclopedia
Licht ins Dunkel is an annual telethon held in Austria
since 1973. The telethon is held every year on Christmas Eve
for 14 hours on ORF2
.
The money raised is used to provide help for disabled persons. Donations can be made by phone, SMS
, fax or via the internet.
Actually Licht ins Dunkel is a permanent project and donations can also be made at post offices, banks and via the internet all year round and not necessarily on Christmas Eve during the telethon.
The word telethon itself is not used in Austria, but similar names such as Fernsehmarathon (television marathon) or Spendenmarathon (marathon of donations) are used.
Although the sum of money raised is increasing from year to year, these telethons are facing increasing criticism from viewers complaining about the whole-day blocking of one of the country's most important nationwide public television channels which usually airs highly-rated programmes about culture, society, politics and business.
The telethon is also relayed on several regional public channels which either rebroadcast the nation-wide telethon or organize additional shows on a regional or local level. Parts of the telethon are also aired on the German-language international satellite channel 3sat
which is available throughout Europe - these parts of the telethon are relayed to 3sat's domestic service in Austria as well.
Thus, viewers who are getting their television signals solely over the air and do not have access to satellite reception or cable-tv usually get 6 to 10 different channels of which at least three broadcast Licht ins Dunkel, parts of it, or regional telethons of Licht ins Dunkel on December 24, which is another source of annoyance for this group of viewers.
Since Austria is a highly organized welfare state with very high taxes to pay for a tight social security system, national health care which is free for everybody and government-provided help for people in need, many viewers consider additional money raising on public television as highly annoying or unnecessary.
Some people even complain about Licht ins Dunkel since they do not wish to be confronted with the lives and problems of disabled persons on Christmas Eve.
Even some associations of disabled persons heavily criticized Licht ins Dunkel since disabled people are commonly depicted during the telethon as if they were completely helpless and unable to make their lives. Every year, some businesses consider the show as another advertising opportunity and make very high donations just in order to be mentioned one more time on television.
In 2008, several leading politicians appeared on the show which caused another wave of criticism - many viewers had the opinion that politicians should rather optimize the welfare state to provide better help for people for whom the public welfare services are not sufficient instead of pledging for donations. Due to the 2008 financial crisis
, slightly fewer people were able or willing to donate. The total sum of donations in 2008 was about 5.5 million Euro
which is still an increase of 10% compared to 2007.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
since 1973. The telethon is held every year on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
for 14 hours on ORF2
ORF2
ORF2 is an Austrian television channel owned by ORF.ORF2 was launched on 11 September 1961 as a technical test programme. Since 1970, ORF2 broadcasts on seven days a week. Today it is one of the three public TV channels in Austria.Where as ORF1 focuses on tv series and movies, ORF2 broadcasts...
.
The money raised is used to provide help for disabled persons. Donations can be made by phone, SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
, fax or via the internet.
Actually Licht ins Dunkel is a permanent project and donations can also be made at post offices, banks and via the internet all year round and not necessarily on Christmas Eve during the telethon.
The word telethon itself is not used in Austria, but similar names such as Fernsehmarathon (television marathon) or Spendenmarathon (marathon of donations) are used.
Although the sum of money raised is increasing from year to year, these telethons are facing increasing criticism from viewers complaining about the whole-day blocking of one of the country's most important nationwide public television channels which usually airs highly-rated programmes about culture, society, politics and business.
The telethon is also relayed on several regional public channels which either rebroadcast the nation-wide telethon or organize additional shows on a regional or local level. Parts of the telethon are also aired on the German-language international satellite channel 3sat
3sat
3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland .3sat was established for cultural...
which is available throughout Europe - these parts of the telethon are relayed to 3sat's domestic service in Austria as well.
Thus, viewers who are getting their television signals solely over the air and do not have access to satellite reception or cable-tv usually get 6 to 10 different channels of which at least three broadcast Licht ins Dunkel, parts of it, or regional telethons of Licht ins Dunkel on December 24, which is another source of annoyance for this group of viewers.
Since Austria is a highly organized welfare state with very high taxes to pay for a tight social security system, national health care which is free for everybody and government-provided help for people in need, many viewers consider additional money raising on public television as highly annoying or unnecessary.
Some people even complain about Licht ins Dunkel since they do not wish to be confronted with the lives and problems of disabled persons on Christmas Eve.
Even some associations of disabled persons heavily criticized Licht ins Dunkel since disabled people are commonly depicted during the telethon as if they were completely helpless and unable to make their lives. Every year, some businesses consider the show as another advertising opportunity and make very high donations just in order to be mentioned one more time on television.
In 2008, several leading politicians appeared on the show which caused another wave of criticism - many viewers had the opinion that politicians should rather optimize the welfare state to provide better help for people for whom the public welfare services are not sufficient instead of pledging for donations. Due to the 2008 financial crisis
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
, slightly fewer people were able or willing to donate. The total sum of donations in 2008 was about 5.5 million Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
which is still an increase of 10% compared to 2007.