Ulrich Kienzle
- April 16, 2020
- 83 years
About Ulrich Kienzle
Ulrich Kienzle, 83, German author and journalist (ARD, ZDF).
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Full Biography
|Ulrich Kienzle (German: [ˈʊlrɪç ˈkiːntslə]; 9 May 1936 – 16 April 2020) was a German journalist and author. He was known for specializing in the politics and culture of the Middle East. He worked for several broadcasters, including German public television networks ARD and ZDF. He was one of the few Western journalists to interview Muammar Gaddafi in the 1970s. In 1990, he was the last western journalist who interviewedSaddam Hussein, days before Gulf War started. Kienzle was known for appearing on Frontal, a ZDF series of political discussions also featuring broadcast journalist Bodo Hugo Hauser. He was one of the most famous journalists in the six German-speaking countries.[citation needed]
Life
Kienzle was born in Neckargröningen, Württemberg, today part of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany. He was 9 years old when World War II ended and 13 when the Federal Republic of Germany was founded. Kienzle earned a university degree in political science (with minors in German studies and history of art), studying at LMU Munich and the University of Tübingen with Theodor Eschenburg [de] from 1956 to 1963.
From 1956 to 1967, he worked first as a freelancer, then beginning in 1963 as a permanent contributing editor of the Abendschau ("Evening News") of the Stuttgart-based regional broadcaster Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR). After a stint working for Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in 1967 and 1968, he returned to SDR, becoming lead anchor of the Abendschau from 1968. From 1972 to 1974, he was co-host and co-editor of Kompass, a joint foreign affairs broadcast of SDR and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR).
In 1974, Kienzle started working for the national public broadcaster ARD as a correspondent, from 1974 to 1977 covering the Middle East and stationed in Beirut. He was among the first journalists to interview Muammar Gaddafi, then a young rebel. From 1977 to 1980, he was ARD's correspondent for Southern Africa. From 1980 to 1990, he was chief editor of North German regional broadcaster Radio Bremen (RB).
From 1990 to 1993, Kienzle was chief editor for foreign affairs at Hessischer Rundfunk (Hessian Broadcasting) and anchor for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), presenting the foreign affairs magazine Auslandsjournal. In this position, in 1990 he was one of the few Western journalists allowed to interview Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. From 1993 to 2000, he was one of the "combatants" in the weekly ZDF political magazine Frontal [de], which always featured a controversial debate between the more leftist Kienzle, usually taking the position of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and the more rightist Bodo Hugo Hauser, usually taking the position of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU).
In the 2000s, Kienzle hosted a ZDF program on German political campaigns in the run-up to the 2002 federal election, and beginning in 2003 contributed to a ZDF broadcast 'magazine' on the economy (WISO). He was interviewed on events in the Middle East, such as the Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan and the Arab Spring revolts.
Kienzle died in Wiesbaden, Hesse, on 16 April 2020, aged 83.
Honours
- 1977: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (15 November 1976), for reports from the Lebanese civil war
- 1983: Eduard Rhein Prize, award for "outstanding achievements in research and/or development in the areas of radio, television and information technology", Culture Prize for the report Blutiger Sommer – Wiedersehen mit Beirut
- 1995: BAMBI, German media prize, together with Hauser
- 2004: Journalistenpreis des Deutschen Mittelstandes ("journalist prize of the German Mittelstand"), for critical journalism on bargain hunters
Publications
Kienzle's publications are held by the German National Library, including:
- Südafrika. Weiße in der Wagenburg. Droemer Knaur, München 1985, ISBN 3-426-04002-6. ("South Africa. Whites in the wagon fort").
- Noch Fragen, Kienzle? Ja, Hauser! Der offizielle deutsche Meinungsführer. Hofmann & Campe, Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-455-11075-4 (together with Bodo H. Hauser). ("Any more questions, Kienzle? Yes, Hauser! The official German opinion guide").
- SchwarzRotGeld. Der offizielle deutsche Marktführer. Hoffmann & Campe, Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-455-11076-2 (together with Bodo H. Hauser). ("Black-Red-Gold. The official German guidebook on the market")
- Total Frontal. Sprüche und Widersprüche aus 7 TV-Jahren. Heyne, München 1999, ISBN 3-453-15530-0 (together with Bodo H. Hauser). ("Totally head-on. Quotations and controversies from seven years on TV").
- Bitte recht feindlich! Schöner leben und streiten im neuen Jahrtausend. Heyne, München 2000, ISBN 3-453-16497-0 (together with Bodo H. Hauser). ("Please be quite hostile! Better living and debating in the new millennium").
- Küchenkabinett. Essen und Trinken bei Rechten und Linken. Heyne, München 2001, ISBN 3-453-18843-8 (together with Bodo H. Hauser). ("Kitchen Cabinet. Eating and drinking with rightists and leftists.")
- Wo kommsch denn Du alds Arschloch her? Die Erfindung des Schwaben; wie er wurde, was er ist; ein Essay. Edition Sagas, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-9812510-9-8 (mit Audio-CD). (an essay on the cultural history of the Swabian people).
- Abschied von 1001 Nacht. Mein Versuch, die Araber zu verstehen. Edition Sagas, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-9812510-7-4. ("A farewell to A Thousand and One Nights. My attempt to understand the Arabs").
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_Kienzle
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Ulrich Kienzle's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which German town was Ulrich Kienzle born?
- A.Munich
- B.Neckargröningencorrect
- C.Wiesbaden
- D.Stuttgart
Ulrich Kienzle was born in the town of Neckargröningen in southwest Germany.
Source: Life section
2.What primary academic subject did Ulrich Kienzle study at university?
- A.German studies
- B.Journalism
- C.History of art
- D.Political sciencecorrect
Ulrich Kienzle earned a university degree in political science at LMU Munich and the University of Tübingen.
Source: Life section
3.During which years did Ulrich Kienzle study at university?
- A.1970 to 1974
- B.1950 to 1955
- C.1960 to 1967
- D.1956 to 1963correct
Ulrich Kienzle attended university to study political science from 1956 to 1963.
Source: Life section
4.In which city was Ulrich Kienzle stationed as an ARD correspondent for the Middle East?
- A.Cairo
- B.Stuttgart
- C.Beirutcorrect
- D.Baghdad
From 1974 to 1977, Ulrich Kienzle worked for ARD as a correspondent covering the Middle East while stationed in Beirut.
Source: Life section
5.Who was the other journalist who regularly co-starred with Ulrich Kienzle on the ZDF show Frontal?
- A.Bodo Hugo Hausercorrect
- B.Saddam Hussein
- C.Theodor Eschenburg
- D.Muammar Gaddafi
Ulrich Kienzle appeared on the political magazine Frontal alongside Bodo Hugo Hauser.
Source: Life section
6.What specific political position did Ulrich Kienzle typically represent on the television show Frontal?
- A.Christian Democratic Union of Germany
- B.Free Democratic Party
- C.The Greens
- D.Social Democratic Party of Germanycorrect
Ulrich Kienzle was the more leftist combatant on Frontal, usually taking the position of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Source: Life section
7.For which broadcaster did Ulrich Kienzle serve as chief editor of the regional station Radio Bremen?
- A.RBcorrect
- B.SDR
- C.ARD
- D.ZDF
Ulrich Kienzle served as the chief editor of the regional broadcaster Radio Bremen (RB) from 1980 to 1990.
Source: Life section
8.Which dictator did Ulrich Kienzle interview days before the start of the Gulf War in 1990?
- A.Bashar al-Assad
- B.Hosni Mubarak
- C.Muammar Gaddafi
- D.Saddam Husseincorrect
In 1990, Ulrich Kienzle was the last western journalist to interview Saddam Hussein shortly before the Gulf War began.
Source: Life section
9.In what year did Ulrich Kienzle receive the BAMBI media prize?
- A.2000
- B.2004
- C.1995correct
- D.1990
Ulrich Kienzle received the BAMBI, a German media prize, in 1995 alongside Bodo Hugo Hauser.
Source: Honours section
10.What was the reason for Ulrich Kienzle receiving the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany?
- A.Reports from the Lebanese civil warcorrect
- B.Work on the WISO economic magazine
- C.Coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall
- D.Interviews with Saddam Hussein
Ulrich Kienzle was awarded the Order of Merit in 1977 specifically for his reporting from the Lebanese civil war.
Source: Honours section
11.Which of these book titles was co-authored by Ulrich Kienzle and Bodo H. Hauser?
- A.Total Frontalcorrect
- B.Wo kommsch denn Du alds Arschloch her?
- C.Abschied von 1001 Nacht
- D.Südafrika. Weiße in der Wagenburg
Total Frontal is one of the books co-authored by Ulrich Kienzle and Bodo H. Hauser during their time working together.
Source: Publications section
12.In what city did Ulrich Kienzle pass away?
- A.Stuttgart
- B.Wiesbadencorrect
- C.Berlin
- D.Munich
Ulrich Kienzle died in Wiesbaden, Hesse, on 16 April 2020.
Source: Life section
13.What is the subject of Ulrich Kienzle's 2008 book titled Wo kommsch denn Du alds Arschloch her?
- A.The cultural history of the Swabian peoplecorrect
- B.A political critique of the SPD
- C.The economy of Germany
- D.Reporting from South Africa
The 2008 book is an essay regarding the cultural history of the Swabian people.
Source: Publications section
14.Which organization awarded Ulrich Kienzle the 2004 journalist prize for his reporting on bargain hunters?
- A.ARD
- B.German National Library
- C.Deutschen Mittelstandescorrect
- D.ZDF
Ulrich Kienzle received the Journalistenpreis des Deutschen Mittelstandes in 2004 for his critical journalism regarding bargain hunters.
Source: Honours section
15.At which broadcaster did Ulrich Kienzle serve as an anchor for the foreign affairs magazine Auslandsjournal?
- A.WDR
- B.SDR
- C.RB
- D.ZDFcorrect
From 1990 to 1993, Ulrich Kienzle worked as an anchor for the ZDF magazine Auslandsjournal.
Source: Life section
16.What age was Ulrich Kienzle when he died in 2020?
- A.79
- B.81
- C.83correct
- D.85
Ulrich Kienzle was 83 years old at the time of his death on 16 April 2020.
Source: Life section
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