Apo reports live from our Landhaus-Suite !
Kurt Heidingsfelder writes:
Radio Argentina established headquarter in a Hotel in Unterfarrnbach. For the World Soccer Championship a radio team from Argentina is residing at the “Ambient Hotel am Europakanal” having changed a Suite to a Radio Station !
Fürth - a telephone rings. The question is only, which one? Alejandro Alfredo Rutschi is searching on a table, where everything seems to be in a mess. He is working on a mixing unit while simultaneously handling laptop, several microphones and headphones. The radio man, known in Argentina as the “Apo” takes one receiver, then another one, shrugs his shoulder, bends down to take care of an empty box, which used to be filled up with new telephones, gets into trouble with a cable until finding what he was looking for - on top of a cabinet. It is his principal calling him from Buenos Aires and who wants Apo to give a brief report.
Yesterday in the afternoon it is fairly quiet in the “Landhaus-Suite” of the Ambient Hotel. Only Apo is holding on to his position. His 9 colleagues from Radio Continental, one of the large stations in Argentina, are in Herzogenaurach, where his national team “’Albiceleste” (White-Skyblues) prepares for the upcoming match with Germany (Friday 17:00 hrs). Every feedback regarding Riquelme & Co. is consumed by the population of Argentina like a hot cake. And based on the fact that many people in Argentina do not possess a TV set, reports coming via radio are very popular.
Apo ( 51) is an expert on the history of Argentina’s National Soccer Teams. The bearded tall man with dark eyes is very enthusiastic. He accompanied his teams during 7 previous World Soccer Championships !
But apart from being impressed by a perfect organization, the punctuality of trains and buses, he also likes the friendliness of the people around him.
Besides taking care of a group of journalists (room charge € 150 per night) Manager Bernd Bauer (43) and Brigitte Wich (41) are doing more than just looking into breakfasts and room service matter. Wich, fluent in Spanish, was the only communication between the people of Argentina and the outside world. After her customers bought their telephones, she was taxi driver and simultaneously interpreter. Mr. Bauer ordered 2 additional telephone lines enabling his guests to communicate with Argentina without any interruptions.
How it sounds when Apo and his colleagues reporting live on a soccer match ?
All residents of the hotel knew: gooool. This legendary cry was unavoidable for our South American Reporters. With windows wide open there was no way to be considerate towards guests and neighbors who wanted to have a good night sleep. Hotel manager Bauer was glad that only one of his neighbors complained. Upon talking to Apo he just rolled his eyes meaning that true emotions can only be understood by the listeners in his country. Apo tried to copy his German and Swiss colleagues too, but his sounds turned out to be monotonous and without passion !
When Radio Continental is reporting live - it is like this:
3 men sitting on a leather couch when all watching TV at the same time with microphones in front of their lips
One is responsible for Gooool
One for giving comments
And one for advertisements by disclosing names of the respective companies
A delay of 40 seconds, quite common in Germany, is not applied in Argentina when Radio Continental is reporting on all soccer matches - live and in full length from Burgfarrnbach !
But when in Berlin the Argentina match came up, all journalists had to be at present at the stadium.
Coat as mascot. When Argentina played their first match against Ivory Coast, Apo took his coat with him to Hamburg. Because prior to leaving for Germany he was told that even in summer there are chilly days from time to time.
Argentina won a nerve wrecking match 2:1. After the victory his coat was said to be the reason for having good luck. Therefore, disregarding all weather conditions, this coat had always to accompany him thus giving his colleagues no reason to complain.
But when the match against Germany came up, even Apo did not think that the team of Jose Pekerman would dismiss Klinsman’s team which was trying to reach the semi final.
Our chance of winning is only 35%, Apo said without disclosing how he arrived at this percentage. He even would stick to his opinion when talking to Argentina. A real courageous journalist.
Zum Live MitschnittMit freundlicher Genehmigung
von FrankenTV
