With German Vote, I am fulfilling a long-cherished wish: I want to make a podcast about EU consumer issues. After all, they have a very direct impact on our everyday lives. And – in my opinion – they have received far too little attention in many media so far.
New episodes will always appear in the middle of the month on Mondays in german language. And the english version – indicated by the [en] in the title – always follows immediately the following week.
This is the introductory episode of this podcast. Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Transcription:
Hi, I’m Jörg Stroisch. I’ve been a journalist for over 20 years. My main focus is consumer issues, especially personal finance and digital topics. I also love podcasts. I’m already hosting two of them, called „Na, schreibst du schön?“ and „Designed Innovation“.
Motivation for the pro-EU-podcast German Vote
For years I’ve been deeply interested in new related topics. I attended an event in Bristol where the future mortgage directive was discussed in its early stages. Years later, the German public was surprised when it was introduced with many fearing they’d never get another loan. The issue popped up like Jack in the Box, seemingly out of nowhere. The fact is, without the EU, Germany would still be in the dark edges in many ways, but not everyone realized that.
Now, this podcast will only be partly positive about everything, but it is a pro-EU podcast. I have no time for the far right politics, and you want her their voices here. Simply put, I respect the EU institutions. And this podcast differs from those casual and less shared podcasts where people ramble on with little substance. Instead, I feature a variety of formats where I often take a step back as host. Here is what I have in mind.
The segments of the pro-EU-Podcast German Vote
- Jack in the box: This segment gives context to current events. The name is, of course, a bit ironic, referencing how the media in Germany often tread EU consumer issues like afterthoughts. If you listen here, you won’t be surprised anymore.
- Europeans and their role models: I’ll introduce key players and personalities shaping EU policy in this segment.
- Bending bananas and co: Everyone knows the story about the EU regulation, the curvature of bananas. It is a classic joke, but we heard different versions of it all the time. Before the 2024 EU elections, it was all about cucumber regulations. It sounds odd and quirky, but what’s really behind these stories. This is like a glossary segment explaining how the EU institutions works.
- Brussels blues: What’s the wipe in Brussels or Strasbourg these days. I will travel in there regularly for this podcast. The segment will focus on the atmosphere and share anecdotes from behind the scene.
- The My German vote: I give my personal take on various developments in this segment. It’s a bit a commentary section with well-agreed points. Let’s see how this works. I’m planning one episode per month for now, but I’d love to ramp up over the time.
Transparency notice for German Vote
I also use the support and resources provided by various EU institutions. For example, I use their studios and services for journalists on site. Of course, I’ll disclose that in every episode, but rest assured they don’t influence the content in any way.