Biografi
In January 1945, amid the chaos at the end of World War II, the family fled to Thuringia. Four years later, the German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet-occupied zone. Brauner grew up in the GDR, where his parents instilled in him a strong sense of duty and ambition. After completing school, he enrolled at the Pedagogical Institute in Leipzig and, in 1958, passed the state examination to become a primary school teacher in German. That same year, Brauner relocated to the Federal Republic of Germany, initially working at a graphic arts institute in Hamburg before taking a position as a commercial clerk at an insurance company. Alongside his job, he began taking speaking lessons on a friend's recommendation.
In 1965, Brauner left the insurance company to join Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). On May 15, 1965, he delivered his first news broadcast on the NDR2 radio program. At NDR, he became a full-time announcer, featuring on numerous radio shows, especially sports programs. Starting in 1967, Brauner appeared as an on- and off-screen speaker on the NDR television program "Reports from the Day." He was appointed as an on- and off-screen speaker for "Tagesschau," delivering his first broadcast on October 9, 1974. Brauner rapidly rose to become the chief anchor of "Tagesschau," the flagship news program on ARD television, which has aired since the 1950s and has had only five chief anchors in fifty years: Karl-Heinz Köpcke, Werner Veigel, Dagmar Berghoff, Brauner, and, since October 2004, Jan Hofer.
Over his thirty years as a "Tagesschau" announcer, Brauner became one of Germany’s most recognizable television figures. He was known for his objective, calm, and serious delivery, almost notarial in tone, even when reporting the most dramatic news. Since 1984, under Brauner’s tenure, "Tagesschau" has consistently been the most-watched TV news program, a success largely attributed to the show's credibility, to which Brauner’s charisma was a significant contribution. On October 9, 2004, exactly thirty years after his first "Tagesschau" broadcast, Brauner signed off from ARD with his final news program, retiring as the network’s longest-serving news anchor. He was succeeded by Jan Hofer.
Since 1969, Brauner has been married to Ann, and the couple has two daughters.
