Biographie
After his father was killed in the Second World War and the family was expelled, Nowottny settled in Westphalia. In the immediate post-war period, he initially worked as an interpreter for the British occupying forces. From 1948, he started as a trainee and later became an editor for the "Freie Presse" in Bielefeld. During the 1950s, he gained recognition as a freelancer for various radio and television stations. In 1962, Nowottny joined Saarland Radio, where he served in Saarbrücken as head of the economic and social policy department. In 1963, he helped launch the television series "The Market - Economy for Everyone," which introduced him to a wider TV audience.
In 1965, Nowottny was promoted to deputy editor-in-chief at Saarland Radio. Two years later, he moved to Bonn as deputy head of the WDR television studio and began working on the "Report from Bonn" series. In 1973, he became ARD’s chief correspondent and head of the WDR studio in Bonn. He became well-known for hosting the political series "Report from Bonn," presenting 1,000 episodes by 1985. His in-depth reporting from the federal capital, combined with irony and engaging humor, established him as one of the most recognized and popular journalists in German television. In mid-1985, Nowottny handed over his Bonn responsibilities to Ernst Dieter Lueg and moved to Cologne to become WDR director.
In 1989, he was re-elected for another six-year term as head of Germany’s largest television company. During this time, Nowottny successfully defended WDR’s independence against a challenge from the CDU/CSU and FDP parliamentary groups, with the initiative being dismissed in court in 1991. Under his leadership, WDR expanded its programming and became the first German TV channel to offer a daily 24-hour broadcast starting in early 1994. Alongside his role as WDR director, he served as chairman of ARD in 1991/92, primarily advancing the integration of broadcasters from the new federal states into ARD. He also facilitated the merger of "Deutschlandfunk" in Cologne with "RIAS Berlin" and "Deutschlandsender Kultur" to create "Deutschlandradio."
In mid-1995, Nowottny passed the WDR director position to Fritz Pleitgen. His journalistic achievements have been honored with numerous awards, including the "Golden Camera" from "HörZu" magazine in 1973 and 1982, the Federal Cross of Merit in 1986, and the Honorary Prize of the Founders of the German Television Prize in 2006. In 2007, he made his debut as a talk show host by filling in for Sandra Maischberger during her maternity leave.
Friedrich Nowottny is married to Gisela Gück and has two children.
