German TV station hires Ukrainian anchor to host news show
German broadcaster RTL has hired a Ukrainian presenter to host a daily news show for others who have fled their homeland after the Russian invasion.
According to the commercial broadcaster, Karolina Ashion will present a 10-minute Ukrainian-language news programme Mondays to Fridays addressed to almost 200,000 people who have arrived in Germany from Ukraine in the past month.
“We want to reach people who are fleeing right now, who have to leave their home country, who may not speak English, and that’s why we are making a news offer in Ukrainian,” said Malte Baumberger, the project manager for RTL’s “Ukraine Update” programme.
“So that these people can find out what is going on in their country right now and what is the political situation.” Ashion only made it to Germany about a week ago herself, following an arduous journey from Kyiv via Moldova and Romania.
She said her male colleagues, who are not allowed to leave Ukraine if they are between 18 and 60, were still broadcasting out of a bomb shelter in Kyiv.
“My life has changed completely,” Ashion said. “But I’m a Ukrainian, and I want to be the voice of freedom for people. For all the people suffering from this (war),” she added.
RTL said it was planning on further expanding their “Ukraine Update” news offer hiring more Ukrainian journals. The show is available via various RTL and N-TV online platforms and YouTube.
